Interstate 80 Mississippi River Bridge project to host fourth meeting

November 1, 2023

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An online meeting regarding the Interstate 80 Mississippi River Bridge, which connects Illinois and Iowa, is scheduled for Nov. 15.

This meeting, hosted by the Illinois Department of Transportation in conjunction with the Iowa Department of Transportation, will provide study information and the preferred alternative to the bridge’s present state, which does not meet current design standards. Public comment also will be accepted. A registration form to take part in the meeting is available here.

According to the Mississippi River Bridge project website, the bridge was built in 1967 and is one of the major interstate bridges connecting the two states in the Quad Cities area.

Recurring and costly bridge maintenance are among the major concerns along the 6 miles from the I-80/Interstate 88 interchange in Illinois to 35^th Street Southwest in LeClaire, Iowa.

A planning and environmental linkages study was completed in 2022, and the project has moved into the National Environmental Policy Act phase. That phase is expected to be completed by mid-2024 and will be followed by final design and contract preparation, the project website says.

Meetings on this project date back to April 2020, with the most recent held on Oct. 27, 2022.

I-80 Mississippi River Bridge Study public meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 15 at 4:00 pm. Participants must register to attend the meeting.https://t.co/SHEFEqEEVM #ILtraffic pic.twitter.com/C30FZRIrhj

— IDOT District 2 (@IDOTDistrict2) November 1, 2023

Additional Mississippi River bridge projects

On Tuesday, Oct. 31, ground was broken on the new Don Welge Memorial Bridge, connecting Randolph County, Ill., and Perry County, Mo.

This bridge replaces the Chester Bridge and is a $307.1 million combined investment between the two states.

“By investing in the Don Welge Memorial Bridge through our landmark Rebuild Illinois capital plan, we’re ensuring innovation, safety and reliability for thousands of drivers every day,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement.

The Missouri Department of Transportation will oversee the project, which is expected to be completed in December 2026.

The project will replace the two 11-foot lanes with two 12-foot lanes with shoulders, making the bridge twice as wide while also addressing longtime draining and flooding issues.

“Today’s groundbreaking marks the beginning of this new cable-stayed bridge, and Missouri is pleased to partner with Illinois and our design-build contractor to deliver the next chapter of interstate commerce for the region,” said Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission vice chairman W. Dustin Boatwright. LL