I-74 River Bridge

Making lives better through transportation is all about connections. The new Interstate 74 Mississippi River bridge connecting Iowa and Illinois stands as a testament to the power of these connections.

Highlights of this amazing engineering feat

  • Construction of the new bridge began in 2017 and was completed and opened to traffic in late 2021 at a cost of approximately $1 billion for the entire corridor including planning, design, engineering, construction, and demolition of the old structures.
  • The new bridge replaced dual bridges. The old Illinois-bound suspension bridge was completed in 1960 and the old I-74 Iowa-bound suspension bridge was completed in 1936.
  • In 2016, traffic on the I-74 bridges across the Mississippi River exceeded a 74,000 average daily traffic count. It is estimated that traffic volumes will rise to approximately 99,900 vehicles per day by 2035, according to traffic projections endorsed by the Bi-State Regional Commission. Growing population and employment during the past several decades have led to increased traffic volume.
  • The new bridge was built to last– this means with minimal maintenance -- so we are using high-quality materials, techniques, and state-of-the-art technology.

Functional and Beautiful

I-74 Bridge Rendering
  • There are many aesthetic elements that represent the river and the communities -- Play on movement of the river using a lot of curved structures (Y-shaped piers, wave pattern on retaining walls as you drive towards the river bridge, and the curved arch reflects a circle on the water); all of this represents the connectivity and shared goals of the communities in the Quad Cities and the importance of the Mississippi River in the area.
  • Why an arch? – Local desire for a unique, iconic structure over the Mississippi River; selected with public input; took many years and a lot of people to dream this up and get to construction!
  • Arch Lighting: The arches have color-changing LED lights. The cities of Bettendorf and Moline will operate the color-changing lighting.

Project updates


Contact us

Ahmad M. Afifeh, P.E.
Senior Transportation Engineer
Iowa DOT - District 6
ahmad.afifeh@iowadot.us

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