Photos: When Interstate 74 cut through Moline
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Interstate 74 was elevated through downtown Moline. Note the LeClaire Hotel in the background.
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A construction shot from June of 1974.
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By June of 1974, crews were building an elevated roadway at the bridge to connect with the rest of Interstate 74, replacing the former configuration in which the road came down to street level in Moline.
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This was the scene in March of 1975, standing west of 19th Street, looking basically north, showing the interstate as it was being built over 19th Street. "From this angle, it's hard to believe there even is a 19th Street underneath the steel," the caption stated. "Closing of the street during the day has facilitated the construction and the comping of spring should mean the work will go even faster."
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Construction of the elevated Interstate 74 roadway in March of 1975 looks much like what is being seen today with construction of the new Interstate 74 bridge.
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Traffic pours through downtown Moline at 19th Street in October of 1974.
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The snake-like winding of Interstate 74 under construction in downtown Moline was captured from the bluff south of 7th Avenue. By this time — November 1974 —I-74 was complete from Iowa to Ohio except for the stretch in Moline.
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This aerial photo from May of 1974 shows construction of Interstate 74 through downtown Moline, with progress on the elevated road connecting to what was then the Iowa-Illinois Memorial Bridge.
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From the bridge, the interstate went south through the bluff area and curved behind the former Stardust Motel. This photo is from May of 1974.
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Work proceeds in August of 1972.
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Jim and Vicki Peterson became part of Moline history 50 years ago this October when they moved the house behind them to its current location on 26th Street. Moving the home from its original location on 19th Street was a prelude to the construction of Interstate 74 through Moline.
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Traffic stopped as the Peterson home moved across 19th Street to its new location on 26th Street. The home had to be moved or demolished because it was in the path of the new Interstate 74 through Moline.
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And there she goes ...
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As part of Interstate 74 construction through Moline, these two brick sixplexes were moved from their original location near 12th Avenue and 19th Street to 2201 7th Ave., just south of the First Congregational Church. On their original site, the bottom floors were built into the ground as garden-level apartments. During the move, those apartments were left behind, with new lower-level apartments built at the new site using brick of a different color, which one can see in the photo.
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As part of the construction of Interstate 74, this three-story apartment building originally at 19th Street and 7th Avenue was moved all the way up the hill to the 1400 block of 12th Avenue where it stands today.
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Moline's original Thomas Jefferson Elementary School at 2639 27th St. stood in the path of the new Interstate 74. It was demolished, and an almost exact duplicate was built at 3010 26th Ave., on land that had been part of the Oakwood Country Club golf course.
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Moline's original Thomas Jefferson Elementary School at 2639 27th St. stood in the path of the new Interstate 74. It was demolished, and an almost exact duplicate was built at 3010 26th Ave., on land that had been part of the Oakwood Country Club golf course.
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Next Level Fitness and Athletics, 3102 29th St., Moline was originally the clubhouse of Oakwood Country Club. When the club learned the route of Interstate 74 would go through its golf course, it took a state buyout in 1966 and moved to what is now Coal Valley. Much of the land not needed for the interstate turned into high-end housing.
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Before Interstate 74 got its name, it was referred to in planning documents as FAI-06. The letters stood for Federal Aid Interstate and 06 meant it followed the route of existing U.S. 6 through Moline.
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The Moline Daily Dispatch got a "scoop" when the newspaper published this map on May 9, 1958, showing the much-anticipated route of the new Interstate 74 through Moline.
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One of the casualties of the Interstate 74 route through Moline was the early 1900s St. George Greek Orthodox Church. The congregation took a buy-out and relocated to Rock Island.
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A lot of digging was involved in the construction of Interstate 74 through the bluff area of Moline. This photo is from August of 1972.
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In the distance, one can see how what is now the Interstate 74 bridge came down to street level as it entered Moline. The configuration was much the same on the Bettendorf side. Elevating access at the bridge was a final piece of the construction puzzle.
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