Towing and Roadside Help on I-74 and I-280 in Iowa

Both roads branch off I-80 on the Iowa side and run to the Mississippi. I-74 crosses from Bettendorf, and I-280 from Davenport. On the phone, give the road's name and your direction, toward the river or toward I-80. Add the last exit sign you saw, and we can place you.

• Exit 290: I-280 heads for Rock Island and Moline, leaving I-80 at mile 289.6.
• Exit 298: I-74 starts toward Bettendorf and the I-74 Bridge, at mile 297.4.

Signed for Bettendorf and Davenport, I-74 begins at I-80 exit 298 (mile 297.4). Iowa's share of the interstate is about 5 miles long. Iowa DOT's 2025 counts average about 43,800 vehicles a day on it. At the river end, the I-74 Bridge links Bettendorf with Moline, Illinois.

If the car still rolls, take the next exit rather than stopping on the bridge approach. If it stops on I-74 itself, turn on the hazards and stay belted in. Call 911 when the car is in a lane.

Through traffic for I-74 toward Peoria is signed to stay on I-80 east around the Quad Cities. That route leads to the 'Big X' interchange near Colona, Illinois. There, traffic on both routes has to exit to stay on its route.

If you follow those signs, you stay on I-80 past exit 298. The Big X is in Illinois and outside our area. I-80 on the Iowa side, from exit 284 to the river, is covered.

Carrying US 6 east and US 61 south toward Rock Island and Moline, I-280 leaves I-80 at exit 290 (mile 289.6) as I-280 east. Westbound on I-80, it is a left exit, so plan the lane change early.

The Iowa part of I-280, from exit 290 to the Baker Bridge, runs 9.8 miles. Iowa DOT's 2025 counts average about 20,800 vehicles a day on it, and about a third are trucks. It crosses the Mississippi between Davenport and Rock Island on the Sergeant John F. Baker Jr. Bridge. That is the farthest downstream of the Davenport-Rock Island bridges. A breakdown on the deck itself is covered on the Mississippi bridges page.

Of the five road bridges across the Mississippi in the Quad Cities, the I-74 Bridge is the busiest. It averages about 70,400 cars a day between Bettendorf and Moline. A car stalled on its Iowa approach sits beside a steady stream of traffic. If someone is hurt, cars have collided or one sits in a travel lane of either interstate, call 911 first.

For the tow, the jump or the tire, call (563) 208-4670. Name the road, your direction and the last exit or bridge you passed, and we quote the price and the timing.

1. Signal and get onto the right shoulder, as far from the travel lane as the car will go.
2. Hazards on; at night, the headlights and dome light too, so drivers coming off the bridge can see the car.
3. Stay inside with the seat belt on; on the I-74 Bridge, the Baker Bridge or their approaches, do not walk along the road.
4. Note whether you were headed toward the river or toward I-80, and the exit you last passed, then call.

If the car is stuck in a lane of either interstate, call 911 before anything else.

On either interstate, a tow starts at $119 and a winch-out at $125. A flat tire change starts at $95, fuel delivery at $82, a lockout at $82 and a jump at $82. A replacement tire, a new battery and mobile mechanic work are priced on the call.

Calls from the Illinois end of either bridge, in Moline or Rock Island, are outside our area.