Memorial Bridge (I-74)

The first span of the Iowa Illinois Memorial Bridge was completed in November 1935 as a depression-era PWA project, and the second nearly identical span was completed in 1960. Named in honor of personnel who served in World War I, the first span immediately carried traffic for a new transcontinental federal highway, Route 6. Today, the two spans comprise one of only three twin suspension bridges in the United States and the only one on the Mississippi River.

The Davenport Bridge Commission operated the Memorial Bridge as a toll bridge until 1971, when it was modified to accommodate Interstate Highway 74. Today the Iowa and Illinois transportation departments are making plans for a new bridge that is likely to destroy this historic treasure.

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