WEST End: I-80 exit 298, Davenport, Scott County
Facing north, but heading west, on 74
All I-80 interchanges in the Davenport area have Chicago and Des Moines as the control cities. Unlike I-380, there is no exit number marked, though it should be Exits 0B (Chicago) and 0A (Des Moines).
Facing north, but heading west, on 74
The lanes for I-74 default onto I-80 westbound, hence the lack of directions underneath.
Closeup of sign at right
This enlarged view shows the state name inside the I-80 shield, which probably means this is an older sign.
Facing north, but heading west, on 74
Facing east on 80
I-80 and I-74 meet twice in the Quad Cities, once here and once southeast of Moline. Instead of going through Davenport and Rock Island, Peoria traffic is told to follow I-80. This interchange is the only one in Iowa to reference Peoria.
Facing east on 80
The "Thru Traffic/Local Traffic" signage is a recent development, but the way to Peoria was a point of contention for decades. There were proposals to reroute I-74 on I-80 and I-80 on I-280, but these were rejected by both Iowa and AASHTO. (For more information, see Jason Hancock's Davenport highway history.) I think that I-74 should be put on I-280 and the north-south interstate through Davenport and Rock Island changed to I-174. It would take more 74 traffic off downtown, and I-280's redundant multiplex with 74 would be gone. (Note: Davenport should be on top of Bettendorf on that sign, since this interchange is inside Davenport's city limits and crosses into Bettendorf later.)
EAST Iowa line: Mississippi River (with US 6), Bettendorf IA/Moline IL, Scott County IA/Rock Island County IL
Facing north, but heading west, on 74
This bridge is the original 1935 bridge first used by US 6. The eastbound (southbound) bridge was built in 1959. As you can see, the bridge is narrow and not up to interstate standards. Though planning is under way today for replacing the bridges, construction on a new crossing wouldn't happen until the 2010s.
All pictures by me: First-sixth, 6/13/06; seventh, 4/18/06
Page created 12/31/06