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Old Posted Sep 17, 2018, 3:21 PM
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Quad Cities: New I-74 Bridge over the Mississippi River

The historic landmark Interstate 74 bridge over the Mississippi River in the Quad Cities, connecting Moline, IL and Bettendorf, IA has reached the end of its life and is being replaced. Having grown up in the QC this is bittersweet news. I have many fond memories of this bridge. Boating on the river beneath it, seeing it loom over the riverfront from the Moline bikepath. White knuckle driving it for the first time at 16 on the narrow two lanes, no shoulder, see through guardrail a few feet away and the Mighty Muddy Miss far below.

The old bridge will be missed when it is torn down in 2021. Some history on the old bridge. The first span was built in 1935 as a two-way, two lane bridge. When I-74 came through, a second exact copy was built next to it in 1959, and the spans became one-way. I'm not aware of another dual suspension bridge being built decades apart like this.

The Old Bridge



The new bridge is a True Arch suspension bridge with the two spans sharing a central foundation so they buttress against each other. It will be taller than the old bridge and looks like it will be stunning. I hope it gets some cool LED light treatment.

Rendering of the new Bridge, currently under construction



I was home visiting the folks last weekend and went on a Channel Cat (water taxi) ride. Got some good construction photos I'll post soon. The foundations are massive, like a vertical mat pour for a skyscraper.
Additionally, what will be a boon for bikers along the river, the new bridge will have pedestrian access (very rare for an interstate bridge) with elevators at each end.

Last edited by aaron38; Sep 17, 2018 at 4:05 PM.
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Old Posted Oct 2, 2018, 3:43 PM
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Here are a few photos I took yesterday afternoon, Aaron. Next time I'll shoot from the Illinois side.









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Old Posted Oct 2, 2018, 4:15 PM
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I like those piers. They could have just as easily been spec'd as a thoughtless engineering manual design but they've put effort into making them cohesive with the rest of the theme. That's a good sign this bridge will be a beauty.
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Old Posted Oct 3, 2018, 12:49 AM
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The replacement for the I-71/75 Brent Spence Bridge in Cincinnati is of a similar design, but unfunded. It has been studied since 2001, several structures have been demolished, and electric lines have been moved, but the bridge is nowhere close to happening.

That design is a similar tied-arch design, but it will be double-decked, plus the existing double-deck cantilever truss bridge will remain.
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Old Posted Oct 3, 2018, 1:52 AM
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I do like the look of the new bridge. On the other hand I am a huge fan of the look of suspension bridges. Always sad to see one needing to come down.
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Old Posted Oct 3, 2018, 2:54 PM
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The new bridge looks much less "grand" and also shorter. Don't care much for the new design. Looks cheaper(if adjusted for inflation) and smaller.
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Old Posted Oct 3, 2018, 11:02 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aaron38 View Post
Additionally, what will be a boon for bikers along the river, the new bridge will have pedestrian access (very rare for an interstate bridge) with elevators at each end.
lol, I wonder if the fact that KONE is headquartered right next to the bridge had anything to do with this? In any other circumstance, a public elevator on a bridge would be unimaginable. Even in the old days before ADA, stairwells up to bridges were very rare, and they were cheap by comparison.
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Old Posted Dec 8, 2018, 10:30 PM
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Some photos of the bridge construction taken this morning from the Illinois side of the river.









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Old Posted Dec 9, 2018, 7:21 AM
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That new bridge does look stunning! However the old one looks "stately" and I'll miss it-seen it quite a bit as I've got family in the Quad Cities (moms side is scattered from the Quad Cities to places like Fort Madison, Burlington, Keokuk and even St Louis). Those construction shots reminds me back when they built river bridges in Burlington, Keokuk and Quincy IL-thanks for the update..

Oh btw they plan to build a stunning new bridge over the Sacramento River downtown-the new I Street Bridge.
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Old Posted Jan 7, 2019, 6:47 PM
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I've read online that the current I-74 bridge is 159 ft tall. I think it's amazing that a crane standing over 300 feet has been erected onto a barge in the middle of the Mississippi River. Sadly, the Quad Cities doesn't even have a building that reaches that height.


Last edited by Little A; Jan 7, 2019 at 8:32 PM.
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Old Posted Jan 7, 2019, 8:22 PM
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^ Beautiful pic Little A!!
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Old Posted Jan 7, 2019, 8:40 PM
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Thanks CastleScott! I checked out a few pics of the I Street Bridge that you referenced last time and it certainly is a beauty.
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Old Posted Jan 8, 2019, 5:10 PM
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^ Your very welcome Little A, thanks for checking out the Sacto I St bridge.
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Old Posted Jan 8, 2019, 10:41 PM
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Is there as much animosity between Iowa and Illinois, as there has been for Missouri and Illinois when they built their new bridge? Missouri was so absolutely stubborn about the bridge. Congrats to the Quad Cities, btw.
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Old Posted Jan 9, 2019, 4:42 PM
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Not that I am aware of, Xing. At least not at the local level where many residents go way out of their way to avoid crossing the I-74. The standing bridge is quite narrow and in very poor shape. I would say that it is the only place in the QC where lengthy traffic jams occur on a regular basis. I think most everyone here, on both sides of the river, agrees that it is a necessary upgrade.
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Old Posted Jan 9, 2019, 4:50 PM
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Is there as much animosity between Iowa and Illinois, as there has been for Missouri and Illinois when they built their new bridge?
That's right Xing my family seems to argue, fuss and fight about the other state's politics and college football all the time I visit back there..
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Old Posted Jan 10, 2019, 9:10 PM
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Thanks for the photos everyone! I got busy with a new house and never did get around to posting the photos I took from the Channel Cat.
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Old Posted Jan 10, 2019, 9:13 PM
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Is there as much animosity between Iowa and Illinois, as there has been for Missouri and Illinois when they built their new bridge?
I would say a friendly rivalry. Both my parents went to the University of Iowa, I went to the University of Illinois. They forgave me.

In school growing up, when Iowa and Illinois would play each other, some teachers would dress in Yellow/Black, others in Orange/Blue and rib each other in the hallways.

The Iowa side tended to hate Iowa State more than Illinois!
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Old Posted Jan 11, 2019, 12:10 AM
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I would say a friendly rivalry. Both my parents went to the University of Iowa, I went to the University of Illinois. They forgave me.

In school growing up, when Iowa and Illinois would play each other, some teachers would dress in Yellow/Black, others in Orange/Blue and rib each other in the hallways.

The Iowa side tended to hate Iowa State more than Illinois
I got a laugh because I went into a bar in Moline once with my Bronco's Manning jersey and since it was a fall Saturday with Illinois playing they seemed to enjoy the Broncos jersey since it was the same colors of the "Fighting Illini" (kinda interesting because some of my cousins follow the Broncos as well as the Bears).
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Old Posted Jan 22, 2019, 1:39 AM
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That's a beautiful looking bridge!! Very unique!!
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