Savanna–Sabula Bridge

The Savanna–Sabula Bridge was a truss bridge and causeway crossing the Mississippi River that connected the city of Savanna, Illinois, with the island city of Sabula, Iowa. The bridge was put out of service on November 17, 2017, when its replacement, which lies a few dozen feet downstream, opened as the Dale Gardner Veterans Memorial Bridge.^[3] The bridge carried U.S. Route 52 over the river. It was also the terminus of both Iowa Highway 64 and Illinois Route 64. The bridge carried an average of 2,170 vehicles daily as of 2015, with 6% of that being truck traffic.^[1]

Savanna–Sabula Bridge
May 2004
Coordinates	42°06′16″N 90°09′38″W
Carried	US 52 / IL 64 / Iowa 64
Crossed	Mississippi River
Locale	Savanna, Illinois, and Jackson County near Sabula, Iowa, River Mile 537.8
Maintained by	IDOT
ID number	NBI 000000000029940
Characteristics
Design	Steel truss bridge
Total length	2,482 ft (757 m)
Width	20 ft (6.1 m), 2 lanes
Longest span	520 ft (160 m)
Clearance above	17.1 ft (5.2 m)
Clearance below	51 ft (16 m)
History
Opened	December 31, 1932 (December 31, 1932)
Closed	November 17, 2017 (November 17, 2017)
Demolished	March 9, 2018
Replaced by	Dale Gardner Veterans Memorial Bridge
Statistics
Daily traffic	2,170 (2015)[1]
Savanna–Sabula Bridge
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
MPS	Highway Bridges of Iowa MPS
NRHP reference No.	99001033[2]
Added to NRHP	August 27, 1999
Location

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.^[2]

The bridge was demolished on March 9, 2018.^[4]

Replacement bridge

Construction of an $80.6 million^[5] replacement for the 1932 Savanna–Sabula Bridge was finished and opened to traffic on November 17, 2017, while the old bridge was subsequently demolished.^[6] The Illinois House of Representatives unanimously named this new structure the Dale Gardner Veterans Memorial Bridge in honor of Dale Gardner, a Savanna born NASA astronaut.^[7]

See also

• List of crossings of the Upper Mississippi River

References

1. Baughn, James. "US 52 & IA 64 over Mississippi River, Jackson County, Iowa". BridgeReports.com. Retrieved March 9, 2018.^{[self-published source]}
2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
3. "New Savanna–Sabula Bridge Opens". The Quad-City Times. November 17, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
4. Sorensen, Eric (March 9, 2018). "It's Implosion Day for the Savanna–Sabula Bridge". Moline, IL: WQAD-TV. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
5. "US 52-IL 64 Over the Mississippi River". Illinois Department of Transportation. January 30, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
6. Myles, Terrace (November 17, 2017). "A New Bridge for Sabula–Savanna Residents, Marks the Beginning of a New Era". Davenport, IA: KWQC-TV. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
7. "State Approves Dale Gardner Veterans Memorial Bridge". Carroll County Mirror-Democrat. June 2, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2018.

External links

• Savanna–Sabula Bridge implosion on YouTube
• Weeks III, John A. "US-52 Savanna-Sabula Bridge, Savanna, IL".