We hear plenty about the costs of repairing bridges, but Quad City residents may be suffering from sticker shock after hearing the estimated price of building a new span over the Mississippi River. Denise Bulat, director of the Bi-State Planning Commission, says the proposed new Interstate 74 bridge between Bettendorf, Iowa, and Moline, Illinois, will cost 791-million dollars.
She says it’s hoped construction can begin on the project in 2012 to 2015, from a design and right-of-way perspective. "But, of course," Bulat adds, "we need those dollars and this obviously has a large price tag." The financial report was done for the Iowa D.O.T. She adds, the numbers reflect today’s dollars and the bridge will end up costing more.