Groundbreaking held to start construction of bridge connecting Perryville, MO & Chester, IL
PERRY COUNTY, Mo. (KBSI) – The Missouri and Illinois Departments of Transportation held a groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate the start of construction for the Don Welge Memorial Bridge (formerly Chester Bridge) Tuesday morning.
The ceremony was held on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River at the Don Welge Memorial Bridge construction site.
The bridge spans the Mississippi River, connecting the cities of Perryville, Missouri and Chester, Illinois via Missouri Route 51/Illinois Route 150.
Speakers included MoDOT Project Director Brian Okenfuss, IDOT Director Stephen Travia, Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission Vice Chair Dustin Boatwright and CEO of Gilster-Mary Lee Tom Welge.
In March 2023, the Ames Team which is comprised of Ames Construction Inc. and Parsons Transportation Group was selected to design and build the Don Welge Memorial Bridge.
The team will construct a three-tower, cable-stayed bridge.
Completion is anticipated by the end of 2026.
The bridge will cost about $284 million to complete.
FOX23 Multimedia Journalist Sasha Moore was at the groundbreaking and will have more on FOX23 News at 9 p.m. on Tuesday.
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