Broken Down on a Mississippi River Bridge in the Quad Cities

Five road bridges link Iowa and Illinois across the river in the Quad Cities:

• the I-80 bridge at LeClaire
• the I-74 Bridge, Bettendorf to Moline
• the Government Bridge, downtown Davenport to the Rock Island Arsenal
• the Centennial Bridge, Davenport to Rock Island
• the I-280 bridge, Davenport to Rock Island

Here the Mississippi runs from east to west. That puts Davenport and Bettendorf due north of Rock Island and Moline. On the four bridges from Davenport or Bettendorf, the north end is the Iowa end.

Bridge decks leave little or no room to step out. If the car stops in a lane, keep your seat belt on, switch on the hazards and call 911. That lets traffic be managed around you.

Once you are safe, call (563) 208-4670 for the tow. Say which bridge, which way you were heading and which end you are closer to. If the car can still roll, get it off the bridge to the first ramp or side street before you stop. Then tell us whether that left you in Iowa or Illinois.

Of the five, the I-74 Bridge between Bettendorf and Moline carries the most traffic, about 70,400 cars a day. A stall there backs traffic up quickly, one more reason to call 911 first if you are stopped in a lane. The I-74 and I-280 page follows I-74 from I-80 down to the bridge.

The Government Bridge is a double-decker carrying both cars and trains between Arsenal Island and Davenport. It sits beside Lock and Dam 15, with a swing span over the twin locks. If you break down on or beside it, say "Government Bridge, Davenport end." That keeps it apart from the Centennial Bridge, which also runs from Davenport to Rock Island.

I-80 crosses on the Fred Schwengel Memorial Bridge, a four-lane steel-girder span from LeClaire to Rapids City, Illinois. It opened in 1967.

Iowa DOT and Illinois DOT have moved the I-80 Mississippi River Bridge project into final design. The project runs roughly 6 miles, from the I-88/I-80 interchange in East Moline to 35th Street SW in LeClaire. They showed the plans at LeClaire City Hall on October 14, 2026.

Iowa DOT said there that construction should start in 2028, with traffic kept moving throughout. A new span goes up downriver first, and traffic moves onto it. Then the 1967 bridge comes down.

Davenport is the largest city on the Mississippi with no permanent flood wall or levee, so high water reaches its riverfront streets. The Rock Island river gauge's flood notes cover the Davenport riverfront, and flood stage there is 15 feet. At 18 feet water covers parts of River Drive downtown between Gaines and 4th streets. At 22 feet it reaches the Davenport approach to the Centennial Bridge.

The river set its record there, 22.7 feet, on May 2, 2019. It reached about 21.5 feet on May 1, 2023, and 20.2 feet on July 9, 2024. It passed 16 feet on April 23, 2026.

In a major flood, roads in and around downtown close, US 67 included, and traffic moves onto other city streets. So the way to a bridge can change from one day to the next. If water covers the street ahead, do not drive into it. Turn around, and call us if the car is stuck short of it.