I-74 Corridor over the Mississippi River Earns International Praise
The I-74 Corridor over the Mississippi River has earned recognition from the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC). At their 2023 FIDIC Global Infrastructure Conference in Singapore, the organization revealed that the $1 billion interstate corridor improvement project was one of four US projects selected to win a Project Award honoring its exceptional contributions to society through remarkable engineering.
FIDIC is the global representative body for national associations of consulting engineers and represents over one million engineering professionals and 40,000 firms in more than 100 countries worldwide. Each year, they recognize projects that have important impacts on the social, economic and environmental quality of life around the world. Thirty projects from around the globe were selected to receive awards. View the complete list of winning projects here.
About I-74
Fully opened to the public in December 2021, the I-74 project was a joint effort between the Iowa and Illinois DOTs and has significantly improved mobility for more than 400,000 residents in the Quad Cities. At a cost of approximately $1 billion, the I-74 Central Section Corridor project is the largest ever to be let by the Iowa DOT. The corridor comprises dozens of new bridges, six reconfigured interchanges, widened and reconstructed interstate roadway, and several miles of local roadway improvements. The iconic Mississippi River crossing also features a fully accessible pedestrian structure with scenic overlooks.
Benesch has played a significant role in this project since 2009, serving as Corridor-Wide Coordinator on behalf of the Iowa and Illinois DOTs and leading design plans for the extended Central Sections of the project, which included the substructures that support the twin arch superstructure (designed by Modjeski & Masters) as well as the approach span superstructures and substructures at either end of the bridge.
Benesch also provided lighting design and oversaw the subconsultant in charge of aesthetic lighting on the bridge.
