MOVING ALONG

ROCK ISLAND BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION TIMELINE & UPDATES

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THE COMPANIES AND EXPERTS
DOING THE HEAVY LIFTING

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Vice president, Sam Loring, is leading the project design, with managing partner, Dennis Strait, as project advisor.
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Thornton Tomasetti is engineering the new structures.
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TranSystems Engineering is signing off on the loads.

Flying Truss, LLC

Flying Truss Owner’s Representative David Disney, veteran construction professional recently retired from JE Dunn, is serving as owner’s representative for Flying Truss.

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LG Barcus and Sons, the bridge building company that installed the screw-lift gates to the Rock Island Bridge in 1951, is prepping and raising the bridge and building out the kitchens, bars and venues.

CONSTRUCTING THE ROCK ISLAND BRIDGE FROM TOP TO BOTTOM

THE PREP WORK

Mark your calendar for a spring 2024 grand opening. Until then, construction crews are busy lifting the bridge by four feet, performing repair work and turning this historic landmark into a destination that will light up the river, our city and connect our communities. By opening day, Rock Island Bridge will span the size of three football fields and have used 386.15 tons of steel and 692 tons of concrete for construction.

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Tackle the deferred maintenance items identified in MARC's engineering study
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Clean off the graffiti from the two 300 ft. central and western trusses and the 105 ft. truss at the east end
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Remove existing railroad ties and tracks
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Construct a steel and concrete deck with safety railings that span the full internal width of the bridge
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Connect the bridge to the riverfront trails network and adjacent land with ramps and broad staircases

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CONSTRUCTING
THE FOUNDATION

Extend steel cantilevers 12 ft. from both sides of the central truss to create a 11,000 sq. ft. "pad" mid-river. This pad will be the yet-to-be-named "Entertainment District" made of light structures

THE ROCK ISLAND
BRIDGE’S ENTERTAINMENT
DISTRICT WILL HAVE:

  • Two commercial kitchens serving an array of cuisines
  • Public seating for approximately 400
  • Three bars/coffee shops
  • Lower deck event space
  • 11 restrooms
  • Office and merchandising space
  • A spacious walkway along the south side for pedestrians and dismounted bikers
  • A waterproof roof thanks to the second concrete deck 11 ft. above
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MOVING TO THE TOP DECK

Construct a slightly shorter, but equal width, steel and concrete deck 12 ft. above the Entertainment District to support the yet-to-be-named Top Deck, which will have amenities sprawled across approximately 8,000 sq. ft.
  • A covered, 250-person event space with a roof that rises to the very top of the superstructure (55 ft. above the base of the bridge)
  • A dance floor
  • An open-air veranda that can be used in conjunction with the event space or separately
  • Two top-deck bars/coffee shops
  • Catering room
  • Restrooms
  • Open veranda seating overlooking the river and the city
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THE COMMUNITY ZONE

The Community Zone is approximately 9 ft. x 100 ft. long cantilevers from both sides of the western end of the bridge as tenting space for the local farmers’ markets and other nonprofits that share a mission to activate the levee trails and the river.

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AMERICA’S FIRST
TRAILHEAD
OVER A RIVER

The Rock Island Bridge’s public restrooms, drinking fountains and public seating creates America’s first trailhead over a river.