AASHTO Journal - Illinois, Missouri Open New Don Welge Memorial Bridge

The Illinois Department of Transportation, along with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission and the Missouri Department of Transportation, recently held an event to celebrate the completion of the new Don Welge Memorial Bridge.

[Above photo by Illinois DOT]

The ceremony marked the culmination of years of collaboration between Illinois and Missouri to replace this vital span that crosses the Mississippi River and connects Randolph County, IL, and Perry County, MO, via Illinois 150 and Missouri 51.

The $307.1 million project replaced the Chester Bridge, originally built in 1942, with a modern structure that improves safety, mobility, and reliability for the public, Illinois DOT noted in a statement.

Overseen by MoDOT, the project was made possible through a partnership between Missouri and Illinois, with Illinois DOT investing approximately $143.2 million in the bridge construction itself as well as the roadways approaching the structure on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River.

The bridge, named in honor of longtime Chester resident and bridge advocate Don Welge, carries 7,000 vehicles daily, approximately 25 percent of which is commercial motor vehicles.

The new bridge features two 12-foot lanes with shoulders, replacing previous structure with a wider, safer, and more reliable crossing, Illinois DOT said.

The improvements ensure the bridge will continue to serve as an important transportation link supporting regional commerce, agriculture, emergency services and local travel in southern Illinois and southeast Missouri, the agency added.

The Don Welge project is one of several major ongoing Mississippi River bridge projects being overseen by state departments of transportation.

For example, the Iowa Department of Transportation and Wisconsin Department of Transportation are currently proceeding with a “revised plan” for building a new Iowa 9/WIS 82 bridge over the Mississippi River between Lansing, IA, and Crawford County, WI.

That revised plan required closure and demolition of the existing bridge – also known as the Black Hawk Bridge – in fall of 2025 to ensure that the new bridge can be safely constructed and opened as planned in 2027.

And in 2025, the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Arkansas Department of Transportation settled on an official name for the new $1 billion I-55 bridge they are building that will span the Mississippi River between Memphis, TN, and West Memphis, AR: Kings’ Crossing, in honor of the legacies of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., B.B. King, and Elvis Presley. The agencies expected physical construction on that bridge estimated to start sometime in fiscal year 2026.