One of the last pieces of the old Interstate 74 Bridge to go out with the bang is scheduled to be dropped by explosives on Sunday, Feb. 18, the Iowa Department of Transportation announced.
The Moline anchorage of the old I-74 Bridge is expected to be the last remaining piece of the old bridge that will be taken down with explosives by the new I-74 Bridge project’s demolition contractor Helm Group, IDOT said in a news release Tuesday, Feb. 13.
Both the new I-74 Bridge and the Mississippi River channel below will be temporarily closed due to the demolition, IDOT said. That operation is scheduled to start as early as 7 a.m., weather permitting.Â
The river also will be closed to commercial traffic and pleasure boaters and to ensure safety during this demolition operation, other areas will be temporarily closed, according to the IDOT posting.
Bridge to close for an hour
The new bridge also is expected to be closed to traffic for about an hour on Sunday morning, with a posted detour in place. Through traffic will be routed to Interstates 80 and 280. Local traffic will be directed to use the Centennial Bridge in Davenport to cross the river/ They will be routed to either downtown Bettendorf to get to westbound I-74 or downtown Moline to get to eastbound I-74. Detour maps can be found here.
The river’s main navigation channel will be closed for up to 24 hours. That begins at 6 a.m. on Sunday. Areas outside the main navigation channel will be closed for up to 12 hours. As they have in the past, local law enforcement will be on site monitoring the river during the demolition process.
The public is encouraged to witness the demolition by accessing the project webcams at www.I74RiverBridge.com.
This is anticipated to be the final part of the demolition of the old bridge that will use explosives. For more information and updates, please visit www.I74RiverBridge.com.
