:Interstate 74 in Iowa

I-74 begins at a trumpet interchange with I-80 on the northern edge of Davenport where it heads to the south. From I-80 to the East 67th Street overpass, the freeway is surrounded by farmland on either side. South of the overpass, it passes a residential area to the east and a commercial area to the west. The East 53rd Street exit provides access to shopping centers on both sides of the Interstate.{{Google maps|url=https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Unknown+road&daddr=I-74+E&hl=en&ll=41.555096,-90.498161&spn=0.130769,0.21801&sll=41.525287,-90.514212&sspn=0.032707,0.054502&geocode=FZS1egIdp7Ca-g%3BFSOKeQId3uCa-g&mra=dme&mrsp=1&sz=14&t=h&z=12|access-date=August 1, 2011}}

Continuing south between East 53rd Street and Spruce Hills Drive, I-74 goes through an area of sparse development. What businesses there are, have frontages on either Elmore Avenue to the west or Utica Ridge Road to the east; the backs of these businesses abut the freeway. At the Spruce Hills Drive exit, US 6 joins from the west. Nearly {{convert|0.33|mi|km}} to the west, Spruce Hills Drive becomes Kimberly Road, which carries US 6 through Davenport until it intersects I-280 on the western edge of the Quad Cities.{{cite map|publisher=Iowa Department of Transportation|title=Quad Cities inset|url=http://www.iowadot.gov/maps/msp/pdf/current/quadcty.pdf|access-date=July 25, 2011|year=2011}}

South of Spruce Hills Drive, I-74 runs parallel to the eastern leg of Kimberly Road, which turns south at its intersection with Spruce Hills Drive. The freeway curves slightly to the southeast and enters Bettendorf. It crosses Duck Creek and meets Middle Road at a diamond interchange.

As I-74 and US 6 head down a hill toward the Mississippi River, a series of exit and entrance ramps connect the freeway to US 67, which runs northbound along State Street and southbound along Grant Street. The Interstate passes over US 67 and railroad tracks belonging to the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad on an elevated highway, which serves as the approach to the I-74 Bridge over the Mississippi River. Despite the singular name, the crossing is two twin bridges which each carry one direction of traffic to and from Moline, Illinois.{{-}}

File:2022 I-74 Bridge 04.jpg

File:Davenport, Iowa 1955 Yellow Book.jpg

I-74 was part of the original plans for building Iowa's Interstate system.{{cite web|url=http://www.iowadot.gov/50thpages/pdf/inside_june_2006.pdf|title=Iowa's Interstate Highway System|last=Iowa Department of Transportation|date=June 2006|work=Inside|page=20|access-date=August 1, 2011}} It would form the Iowa leg of a planned freeway from the Quad Cities to Cincinnati, Ohio.{{cite map |publisher= American Association of State Highway Officials |cartography= Public Roads Administration |date= August 15, 1957 |url= http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Interstate_Highway_plan_August_14,_1957.jpg |title= Official Route Numbering for the Nation System of Interstate and Defense Highways |access-date= August 1, 2011}} Its route through the Quad Cities closely resembles the path drawn up in the mid-1950s.{{cite map |publisher= Public Roads Administration |cartography= Public Roads Administration |date= 1955 |url= http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Davenport,_Iowa_1955_Yellow_Book.jpg |title= Official Yellow Book map of the Quad Cities |access-date= August 1, 2011}}

In the Iowa Quad Cities, I-74 opened in three segments beginning on August 30, 1968. On that day, the northernmost {{convert|3|mi|km|spell=in}}, from I-80 to US 6, opened to traffic. The new freeway was built atop farmland west of Utica Ridge Road in the northeastern part of Davenport.{{cite web|url=http://ortho.gis.iastate.edu/client2.cgi?zoom=10&x0=706474&y0=4607742&layer=ortho_1960&action=pan&pwidth=900&pheight=900&x=462&y=739|title=Iowa Geographic Map Server|last=Iowa State University|author-link=Iowa State University|work=1960s USDA aerial photos|access-date=July 27, 2011|location=Scott County}} The next section was built adjacent to the north–south portion of Kimberly Road, which then carried US 6 through Bettendorf. The segment ended where the Interstate lined up with the older street. The eastbound exit and westbound entrance ramps at Kimberly Road now provide access to and from US 67. The middle section opened in 1971.

Another three years passed before the freeway was completed and opened to traffic. The twin spans of the I-74 Bridge had to be retrofitted to connect to the Interstate. The Iowa-bound bridge was built as a Works Progress Administration project in 1934–1935 and the Illinois-bound bridge was 24 years later. Prior to Interstate construction, the I-74 Bridge terminated at State Street, the northbound lanes of US 67, in Bettendorf. To prevent traffic bottlenecks, traffic was prohibited from making left turns onto and off of the bridges. As a result, loop ramps diverted traffic onto Gilbert Street, one block south of State Street, which curved back to State Street at both ends thus allowing traffic to make the necessary left turns.{{cite web|url=http://ortho.gis.iastate.edu/client2.cgi?zoom=1&x0=707474&y0=4600022&layer=ortho_1970&action=layerortho_1960&pwidth=900&pheight=900|title=Iowa Geographic Map Server|last=Iowa State University|work=1960s USDA aerial photos|location=Bettendorf|access-date=July 26, 2011}}

Construction of the Interstate meant eliminating the at-grade intersections with State and Grant streets. I-74 was built as the elevated highway from the bridges to a new overpass at Kimberly Road. The connections were completed and opened to traffic on November 26, 1974, and dedicated to Moline on December 11, 1975.{{cite news |last1=Gaul |first1=Alma |title=The dedication |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81645035/the-dedication/ |access-date=July 17, 2021 |newspaper=Quad-City Times |date=October 6, 2019 |page=B1 |quote=Newspapers.com}} In the late 1980s, a project was undertaken to widen 53rd Street to four lanes across northern Davenport. It included replacing an overpass of I-74 with an interchange.{{cite news |last1=Grau |first1=Scott |title=I-74–53rd Street projects gear up |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81642966/i-7453rd-street-projects-gear-up/ |access-date=July 17, 2021 |work=Quad-City Times |date=October 30, 1988 |page=B1 |via=Newspapers.com}}

File:I-74 Bridge, Iowa-Illinois Border Crossing - panoramio.jpg

In 2005, Iowa DOT and IDOT began planning a new bridge to replace the aging I-74 Bridge. The Iowa-bound bridge opened in 1935; and the Illinois bridge in 1958.{{cite news|url=http://qconline.com/progress2005/stories.cgi?section=pr051&prcss=display&id=228840|title=Mississippi Bridge Timeline|last=Dispatch/Argus staff|year=2005|work=The Dispatch / The Rock Island Argus|at=Progress 2005|access-date=July 25, 2011|archive-date=July 15, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715134049/http://qconline.com/progress2005/stories.cgi?section=pr051&prcss=display&id=228840|url-status=dead}} In addition to replacing the bridges, the scope of the bi-state coalition's plan includes updating {{convert|7|mi|km|spell=in}} of I-74 mainline and interchanges from 53rd Street in Davenport to the Avenue of the Cities in Moline.{{cite web|url=http://www.iowadot.gov/I74corridor/Overview/overview.htm|title=I-74 Corridor Overview|last=Iowa Department of Transportation|access-date=July 25, 2011}} They identified the traffic needs of the corridor and found they would be satisfied by a true-arch, tied-arch, or cable-stayed bridge. After public input and consideration of construction costs and aesthetics, the Departments of Transportation, in August 2006, recommended building two twin, true-arch, basket-handle bridges.{{cite web|url=http://www.iowadot.gov/I74Corridor/CorridorAlt/BridgeType.htm|title=Recommended Bridge Type|last=Iowa Department of Transportation|date=August 2006|access-date=July 25, 2011}} US Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois suggested charging a toll upon motorists who use the new bridges to help pay for their construction. However, a 1998 study, which researched all river crossing options to replace the bridges, deemed new tolls were not viable.{{cite news|url=http://qctimes.com/news/local/article_bd32c396-664a-11e0-b1e8-001cc4c002e0.html|title=I-74 bridge toll should be considered, leaders say|last=Lemmon|first=Dustin|date=April 14, 2011|work=Quad-City Times|access-date=July 27, 2011|location=Davenport, Iowa}}

In addition to the new river crossing, the mainline of I-74 between 53rd Street in Davenport and the Avenue of the Cities in Moline will be widened from a four-lane freeway to six lanes; additional lanes will be picked up and dropped in selected locations. The new bridge itself will be eight lanes; three through lanes and one auxiliary lane that will enter on one side of the river and exit on the other.{{cite web|url=http://www.iowadot.gov/I74Corridor/CorridorAlt/preferred.html|title=I-74 Iowa-Illinois Corridor — Preferred alternative|last=Iowa Department of Transportation|date=January 2005|access-date=July 27, 2011}} In downtown Bettendorf, the connection to US 67 was simplified. Previously, State and Grant streets were a one-way couplet through Bettendorf and a network of ramps and city streets formed the interchange. At the new I-74 interchange, State Street was rerouted to briefly join Grant Street so only four ramps were needed to make full connections between I-74 and US 67.{{cite news |last1=Watt |first1=Anthony |title=Building a bridge |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81658968/building-a-bridge/ |access-date=July 17, 2021 |work=The Rock Island Argus |date=March 14, 2016 |pages=A1–A2 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}

Construction along the corridor has already been completed at the 53rd Street interchange. A partial cloverleaf interchange was added in each direction to allow traffic to enter I-74 without making left turns at its intersection with 53rd Street. This phase of construction ended around December 2012. Officials from Iowa and Illinois, including Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner, were scheduled to be on hand to break ground on the new bridge on June 26, 2017.{{cite news |last1=Tibbetts |first1=Ed |title=Two governors to attend I-74 event |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81676587/two-governors-to-attend-i-74-event/ |access-date=July 18, 2021 |work=Quad-City Times |date=June 16, 2017 |page=A1 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}} On either side of the arch, a {{convert|200|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} tower was built to hold the arch into place before the keystone segment was installed.{{cite news |last1=Ickes |first1=Barb |title=Great heights |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81677372/great-heights/ |access-date=July 18, 2021 |work=Quad-City Times |date=February 10, 2019 |pages=B1–B3 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}} The Iowa-bound keystone was installed on May 5, 2020, after which 108 hangers that support the road deck were strung from the arch.{{cite news |last1=Ickes |first1=Barb |title=Arch work continues for next span of Interstate 74 project |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81677709/arch-work-continues-for-next-span-of/ |access-date=July 18, 2021 |work=Quad-City Times |date=May 24, 2020 |page=A8 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}} At {{convert|72|ft|m}} wide, the westbound span is wider than both of the older bridges combined. It opened to traffic on November 20, 2020; both directions of I-74 traffic were placed onto the new bridge.{{cite news |last1=Ickes |first1=Barb |title=Take a sneak peek at our new I-74 bridge |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81678254/take-a-sneak-peek-at-our-new-i-74-bridge/ |access-date=July 18, 2021 |work=Quad-City Times |date=November 12, 2020 |page=A1 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}} Construction on the Illinois-bound arch began shortly after. The eastbound keystone was installed on May 5, 2021.{{cite news |last1=Loewy |first1=Tom |title=Spectators "wouldn't miss" I-74 milestone |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81677105/spectators-wouldnt-miss-i-74/ |access-date=July 18, 2021 |work=Quad-City Times |date=May 6, 2021 |page=A1 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}

{{jcttop|exit|state=IA|county=Scott|length_ref={{cite web |title=Road Network (Portal) |url=https://gis.iowadot.gov/agshost/rest/services/RAMS/Road_Network/FeatureServer/0 |publisher=Iowa Department of Transportation |access-date=April 13, 2021 |location=Ames |format=ESRI shapefile |date=April 9, 2021}}|exit_ref=}}

{{IAint|exit

|location=Davenport

|lspan=3

|mile=0.000

|mile2=0.316

|exit=—

|road={{Jct|state=IA|I|80|city1=Des Moines|location2=Chicago}}

|notes=Western end of I-74; I-80 exit 298

}}

{{IAint|exit

|mile=1.527

|exit=1

|road=53rd Street – Hamilton Technical College

}}

{{IAint|exit

|mile=2.896

|exit=2

|type=concur

|road={{Jct|state=IA|US|6|dir1=West|name1=Spruce Hills Drive, Kimberly Road}}

|notes=Western end of US 6 overlap

}}

{{IAint|exit

|location=Bettendorf

|lspan=2

|mile=3.902

|exit=3

|road=Middle Road, Locust Street

}}

{{IAint|exit

|mile=4.944

|exit=4

|road={{Jct|state=IA|US|67|name1=Grant Street, State Street|location1=Riverfront}}

}}

{{Jctplace|exit

|location_special=Mississippi River

|lspan=2

|mile=5.399

|mspan=2

|place=I-74 Bridge; Iowa–Illinois state line

}}

{{ILint|exit

|mile=none

|road={{Jct|state=IL|I|74|dir1=east|US|6|dir2=East|city1=Peoria}}

|notes=Continuation into Illinois

}}

{{Jctbtm|exit|keys=concur}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Attached KML}}

{{state detail page browse|type=I|route=74|state=Iowa|stateafter=Illinois}}

{{good article}}

Iowa

74

Category:Transportation in Scott County, Iowa