Iowa, Illinois DOTs decide on plan for Centennial Bridge corridor

The Iowa and Illinois Departments of Transportation have decided to move forward with the preferred alternative plan E2 for the Centennial Bridge.

That plan, which was revealed in a final public forum, includes building a new bridge immediately west of the current Centennial Bridge, an option that was chosen over moving the bridge further west down the river. That would have been between Marquette Street in Davenport and 11th Street in Rock Island.

"It would impact a lot more properties that included residential and at least nine HUD properties as well," said Michael Kuehn, the Illinois DOT program development engineer.

The plan to build a new bridge means the current Centennial Bridge would be demolished after the new bridge is built - much to the dismay of many in attendance at the meeting on Wednesday in Rock Island.

"We busted a lot of rivets on that bridge, and we spent a lot of time on redoing the bridge quite a few different times," said Noah Babcock, an iron worker and Moline resident. "There's definitely a nostalgia towards that old bridge and I think everybody does appreciate that. They'll miss it, but it's probably at the end of its life."

Many were hoping that the arches would be replicated on the new bridge. But that does not seem to be the case because of budget constraints.

"What we found was there wasn't a structural reason to do so," said Kuehn. "It would have been an aesthetic aspect only and it would've increased the price of the bridge and the cost of the bridge by a significant amount."

Those arches have become an iconic structure in the Quad Cities.

"I'm hoping that they come up with a nice design for it and it turns out to be something that will be another nice staple around town," said Babcock.

The upcoming phase of the project will be focused on the aesthetic of the bridge. Construction on the bridge won't begin until after the I-80 bridge is completed. Once construction starts, it should be completed in about three years.

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