Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Quad Cities mayors, and the directors of the Iowa and Illinois Departments of Transportation turned over ceremonial dirt Monday at Leach Park in Bettendorf, Iowa, to
break ground for the I-74 bridge, a $400 million project which aims to replace the current twin bridges, widen the road to two lanes, and include a pedestrian and bike path.
Gov. Rauner took a break from budget negotiations in Springfield to attend the ceremony.
"This bridge, you know, is a little bit personal," he said. "One of the reasons I came up from Springfield — we're in the middle of a big budget battle, if some of you don't know that — but I snuck away because this bridge for me is kind of personal."
He says that, growing up in northern Illinois, he crossed the I-74 bridge a lot and is relieved that the lanes finally will be wider. He did not mention the budget impasse again during his remarks and declined to answer questions from reporters after the ceremony.
The Iowa DOT has agreed to foot the full cost of the bridge until Illinois has a budget. However, the future of other construction projects in Illinois is at stake. State Transportation Secretary Randall Blankenhorn says that, if there's no deal by Friday, 900 projects will have to shut down.
Construction of the I-74 bridge is expected to begin later this month and is expected to be complete in 2021. Updates on the construction schedule, road closures, lane detours and more are available on the project website at I74RiverBridge.com.