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Did You Know
- The cable stayed portion of the bridge will be just over four football fields in length.
- With a main span of 1,500 feet, this bridge will be the third longest cable-stayed bridge in the U.S.
- The two longest cable-stayed bridges in the U.S. are the John J. Audubon in Louisiana, which will be finished in 2010, and the Arthur Ravenel in South Carolina.
- The New Mississippi River Bridge will be 400 feet tall, just two-thirds the height of the Arch.
- The cable-stayed portion of the bridge will require 8 Million pounds of reinforcing steel – equivalent to the weight of 363 school buses.
- The Mississippi River Bridge will require 14.8 million pounds of girders – equivalent to the weight of 925 elephants.
- The total project will cost $640 million – equivalent to one dollar bills laid end to end circling the equator two and a half times.
- Concrete does not dry. It cures. Curing is the hardening process that occurs because of the chemical reaction between cement and water.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How much will the bridge cost?
- The new Mississippi River Bridge is currently projected to cost about $640 million. This amount includes land acquisition, utility relocation and construction.
- Where is the money coming from?
- The Federal Government has appropriated $239 million for the project. Illinois and Missouri make up the remainder ($313 million and $88 million respectively).
- Why does Illinois have to pay almost four times as much as Missouri?
- Most of the work to connect the new Mississippi River Bridge into the existing Interstate infrastructure is in Illinois. The majority of the Federal appropriation goes to constructing the cable-stayed bridge and its approaches. The states split the remaining cost of the bridge. Each state will also pay for the work needed to connect the bridge to I-70.
- I want to work on the bridge; how do I get hired?
- It depends on your skills and experience. The best bet is to be hired by one of the companies doing work on the bridge. This can start the apprenticeship process for many construction crafts needed to complete the river bridge. If you have already started apprentice training, you may also have opportunity to reach journeyman status. The prime contractor for the main span will have a job trailer set up for the project within the next few months - those interested can visit the trailer at that time. For those who would like to get a jump on the hiring process, visit this link at Massman Construction.
- My DBE company would like to bid on one of the contracts; How do I do that?
- Your first step is to make sure your company is certified in Illinois or Missouri – for most contracts, the company needs to be certified by the state letting the contract. Your next step should be taking advantage of the external supportive services expertise available in Missouri or Illinois, as appropriate. The experts there can help provide the information and assistance to bid on all state contracts (not just contracts for the river bridge).
- How will traffic move around the construction?
- We are still working details on construction staging. Our engineers will make every effort to minimize the impact on drivers through and around the new Mississippi River Bridge projects.
