(Radio Iowa)  – The preferred design for new Interstate-80 bridges in the Quad Cities has just two lanes for both directions of traffic. Steve Robery (ROH-ber-ee) of the Illinois D-O-T says when his agency and the Iowa D-O-T started the planning process, the expectation was there would be three lanes on both sides.

However, Robery says what he calls an auxiliary lane is part of the plan — along the entire span of both bridges — and to accommodate traffic merging onto or exiting I-80.

The I-80 bridge over the Mississippi opened in 1966. (Photo courtesy of Iowa & Illinois Departments of Transportation.)

The bridge replacement project will cover six miles on I-80, as the interstate passes over the Mississippi River. Construction is projected to start in 2028 or 2029.