{{about||the Westfield, Massachusetts structure|Great River Bridge (Westfield)}} {{Hatnote|The term Great River Bridge may also refer to the former proposed name of the Charles W. Dean Bridge, a proposed bridge that will carry Interstate 69 from Arkansas to Mississippi.}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2025}} {{Infobox bridge | bridge_name = Great River Bridge | image = Great_River_Bridge.jpg | image_size = 300px | caption = | official_name = | also_known_as = | carries = 5 lanes of {{jct|state = IA|US|34|IA|163|name1 = entire span|name2 = Iowa side only}} | crosses = Mississippi River | locale = Burlington, Iowa and Gulfport, Illinois | coordinates = {{Coord|40|48|43|N|91|05|44|W|region:US_type:landmark|display=inline,title}} | maint = Iowa Department of Transportation | id = | design = Cable-stayed bridge | mainspan = {{cvt|660|ft|m|0}} | length = {{cvt|1245|ft|m|0}} | width = {{cvt|27|ft|m|0}} | clearance = | below = {{cvt|60|ft|m|0}} | traffic = | open = October 4, 1993 | closed = | toll = }}
The '''Great River Bridge''' is an asymmetrical, single tower cable-stayed bridge over the Mississippi River. It carries U.S. Route 34 from Burlington, Iowa to the town of Gulfport, Illinois.
==History== Construction began in 1989, but work on the main tower did not begin until April 1990. The main tower is {{convert|370|ft|m|0}} in height from the top of the tower to the riverbed. During the Great Flood of 1993, construction continued despite record crests on the Mississippi below. The final cost of the bridge was $49 million, about 16 percent over budget.
{{stack|thumb|A night view of the bridge}} The Great River Bridge replaced the MacArthur Bridge, an aging two-lane, cantilevered, steel toll bridge built in 1917. At the time, the bridge was in desperate need of repair, or replacement, as it swayed ominously when two semis crossed the bridge at the same time on the two lanes of traffic. After the bridge was dismantled, the engineers discovered that the supports weren't sunk into the bedrock far enough, causing undermining of the piers.{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}} The new bridge is five lanes wide (two westbound, three eastbound), with piers sunk over 90 feet into bedrock, and provides a safer crossing across the Mississippi River than the old bridge.{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}
==Events== In the early morning of May 1, 2008, five barges broke loose of their moorings, with two of those striking the easternmost pylon of the bridge on the Henderson County, Illinois side of the river. The bridge was closed while it could be inspected by the Iowa Department of Transportation for damage and repairs. A third barge continued downstream, striking the BNSF Railroad owned Burlington Rail Bridge. The highway bridge was reopened the following day.{{Citation needed|date=June 2013}}
On June 17, 2008, the bridge was closed due to major flooding of the Mississippi River.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080617183617/http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/06/17/midwest.flooding/index.html Flood shuts down Mississippi River bridge (CNN.com)]</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jun/17/usa |work=The Guardian |title=Floodwaters crest in southern Iowa |date=June 17, 2008 |first=Daniel |last=Nasaw |access-date=January 27, 2025}}</ref> The Illinois side was damaged in the floods due to levee failure, trapping people who were rescued by helicopter,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/news/nation-world/2008/06/18/helicopter-saves-sandbaggers-from-midwest/52372456007/ |title=Helicopter saves sandbaggers from Midwest floods |work=South Coast Today, The Standard-Times |first=Maria Sudekum |last=Fisher |date=June 18, 2008 |access-date=January 27, 2025}}</ref> and decreasing population in Gulfport for the long term.
Every year on the second Saturday of May the Great River Bridge Race is run. The {{convert|6|mi|km|adj=on}} race starts at the Iowa on ramp and runs the first mile in Iowa including running up Snake Alley. It then runs across the bridge through Illinois on U.S. Route 34 and finishes on Front St. in front of the Port of Burlington.
==See also== * List of crossings of the Upper Mississippi River
==References== {{reflist}} * Fields, Ron. "Bridge spans a decade." ''The Hawk Eye Newspaper'', [https://web.archive.org/web/20060222085230/http://edkraemer.com/news/news_detail.asp?id=115 https://web.archive.org/web/20060222085230/http://edkraemer.com/news/news_detail.asp?id=115] via [https://web.archive.org/web/20060213074801/http://edkraemer.com/index.asp Edward Kraemer & Sons, Inc.] August 22, 2004. Retrieved January 14, 2006. * The Hawk Eye. "Barge strikes close U.S. 34, BNSF bridges" ''The Hawk Eye'', [http://www.thehawkeye.com/Story/Barge-web-050108], Thursday, May 1, 2008
==External links== {{stack|{{commons category|Great River Bridge}}}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070313111941/http://www.pubs.asce.org/WWWdisplay.cgi?9400647 Civil Engineering Database] * {{HAER |survey=IA-21 |id=ia0178 |title=MacArthur Bridge, Spanning Mississippi River on Highway 34 between IA & IL, Burlington, Des Moines County, IA |photos=73 |data=48 |cap=6}} documenting previous bridge
{{Crossings navbox |structure = Crossings |place = Mississippi River |bridge = Great River Bridge |bridge signs = 20 px 20px |upstream = Keithsburg Rail Bridge |upstream signs = ''Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway'' |downstream = Burlington Rail Bridge |downstream signs = ''BNSF Railway'' }}
Category:Bridges over the Mississippi River Category:Cable-stayed bridges in the United States Category:Road bridges in Illinois Category:Road bridges in Iowa Category:Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System Category:Buildings and structures in Burlington, Iowa Category:Bridges in Des Moines County, Iowa Category:Buildings and structures in Henderson County, Illinois Category:U.S. Route 34 Category:Bridges completed in 1993 Category:Former toll bridges in Illinois Category:Former toll bridges in Iowa Category:Steel bridges in the United States Category:1993 establishments in Iowa Category:1993 establishments in Illinois Category:Interstate vehicle bridges in the United States