Museums hoot about chance to preserve old I-74 bridge

Unique bits and pieces of the old Interstate 74 bridge are now museum pieces at two key Quad Cities historical repositories courtesy of the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) and Helm Group. The DOT and the company demolishing the old bridge jointly announced they had donated pieces of the old I-74 suspension bridge to the […]

Unique bits and pieces of the old Interstate 74 bridge are now museum pieces at two key Quad Cities historical repositories courtesy of the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) and Helm Group. The DOT and the company demolishing the old bridge jointly announced they had donated pieces of the old I-74 suspension bridge to the Rock Island County Historical Society for public display at its Moline-based library and museum.  The pieces included part of the structure of the old eastbound bridge, as well as a statue of an owl that had been used to deter birds from perching on the structure and leaving droppings. Similar donations were previously made to the Putnam Museum and Science Center in Davenport.  Those pieces of the old I-74 bridge – or as it was formally named but rarely called, the Iowa-Illinois Memorial Bridge – are part of a river crossing that was once every bit as iconic and important to the region as the award-winning new Interstate 74 Bridge is today.

Before the first of the two green bridge spans was completed and opened in 1935, the only way for vehicles to ford the Mississippi in the Quad Cities proper was via the Government Bridge between Davenport and Rock Island. Eventually traffic grew so heavy on that first single Moline-to-Bettendorf-and-back span that an identical new span – which became the eastbound bridge from Iowa to Illinois – was built and completed in 1961. Tolls were dropped on both spans in 1970 and the two crossings became part of Interstate 74 five years later. The pair of green spans originally was intended to serve 48,000 vehicles a day. Traffic would grow to nearly double as cars and trucks got wider and heavier, and the deteriorating structures were no longer up to interstate standards. It was clear the old bridge had to go and the long battle to replace it began.  As Quad Citians well know it would take until Dec. 1, 2021 to celebrate the grand opening of the nearly $1 billion new, twin arch bridge that delivers four lanes in each direction and includes a unique bicycle and pedestrian path.  So why preserve items from the old, often maligned structure? “From daily commutes between our states to the annual Quad Cities Marathon, the old I-74  bridge served our communities faithfully for nearly a century and was the site of countless memories for Quad Cities residents,” Sandy White, a  Rock Island County Historical Society volunteer, said in the I-74 Bridge Project’s news release about the donation. “We are delighted to have pieces of that rich history to share with our visitors and ensure the stories of the old I-74 live on for generations to come.”  The Putnam’s Nora Moriarty told the QCBJ: “We are very excited to be able to house this piece of Quad Cities history. It is important to us as a museum to keep our contemporary history collection up to date and house objects of historical and emotional value to Quad Citians. We want to thank the I-74 River Bridge Project for donating this piece of beloved history to our museum.”  The donations also will allow Quad Citians to celebrate the old bridge’s form and importance as they watch the new one pile up industry awards for its unique and forward-looking design. “We are thrilled that these donations will allow the historical society to keep the history of  the twin bridges alive in the Quad Cities,” Ahmad M. Afifeh, I-74 Project Manager, Iowa DOT said in the news release. “While we all celebrate the new landmark I-74 bridge, it is important to remember the incredible contributions of the old structure to our region.”  The gift is also a source of pride for employees according to Helm Group, an Illinois-based contractor with an office in Moline and a long history in bridge work, including past repair projects on  the I-74 twin bridges.  “We have employees based throughout the Quad Cities and we all are pleased to have a part  in carrying on the legacy of such a historic structure,” said Chris Snyder, project manager for the $23.3 million demolition contract. “It is a testament to the Quad Cities that even as the region embraces a new  landmark bridge, the community takes time to remember its past.”