Bridge Lane

This main route from Moline to the airport, Coal Valley, and points south dates back to before 1870 when ferries crossed the Rock River. The first bridge was privately owned and opened in 1872. It was taken over by the City of Moline in 1876, which continued to operate it as a toll bridge. In 1882 it was destroyed by a tornado, then rebuilt by the city, and in 1898 it was replaced with a federally financed iron bridge.

This new “high” bridge would clear boat traffic on the new Hennepin Canal that used this segment of the Rock River. It was replaced by a concrete high bridge (which remains today in a remodeled form) in 1938 to accommodate the newly transcontinental U. S. Highway 6.

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