Rock Island’s West End Revitalization (WER) will host a community discussion on the future of the Centennial Bridge corridor and its potential impacts on the West End, on Tuesday June 2, at 6 p.m., at the Martin Luther King Center, 630 9th St., Rock Island.

As the June 3 state public comment deadline approaches, WER is holding space for residents, businesses, and stakeholders to better understand the process and share concerns, questions, and priorities that should be considered as decisions move forward.

Topics will include:

* Overview of the bridge alternatives currently under discussion

* What is known and what remains uncertain

* Community questions that have emerged

* Potential neighborhood impacts and opportunities

* Information on how residents can submit public comments if they choose

WER believes major neighborhood decisions work best when residents are informed early and have meaningful opportunities to participate in shaping outcomes, according to a group release.

A Centennial Bridge sign near the Rock Island entrance to the 86-year-old bridge. (photo by Jonathan Turner).

Residents, businesses, and community members are encouraged to attend and participate in the conversation.

It’s likely the iconic Centennial Bridge will be demolished as the Illinois and Iowa Departments of Transportation pursue a preferred alternative in a long-term study of the U.S. 67 (Centennial Bridge) Corridor.

For preservationists, the good news is, the 86-year-old symbol of the Quad Cities will likely stand until about 2034, due to construction timetables for the planned new I-80 Bridge over the Mississippi River. The third public meeting on the project was held on May 20 at the Rock Island Holiday Inn.

A view of Centennial Bridge from Schwiebert Riverfront Park, Rock Island. (photo by Jonathan Turner)

The construction options still under consideration are:

• A new bridge built west of the existing Centennial Bridge (for an estimated $237 million).
• A new bridge connecting 11th Street in Rock Island to Marquette Street in Davenport ($295 million).

The one just west of the bridge would help maintain the same travel patterns as now, and less impacts to surrounding properties, and allow the current bridge to stay open during construction. There are potential impacts to the monuments at the Rock Island County Courthouse square, which would have to be relocated.

Rock Island 1st Ward Ald. Glen Evans at the third public meeting on the Centennial Bridge study, May 20, 2026 at the Rock Island Holiday Inn (photo by Jonathan Turner).

On the Davenport side, the new bridge just west would impact Centennial Park, and some parking areas near Modern Woodmen Park and River’s Edge ice rink.

The 11^th Street-Marquette bridge would require more changes to surrounding areas, including potential acquisition and demolitions of homes and apartment buildings. It would also provide more direct link to U.S. 67 (11^th Street) and could have a better connection to Centennial Expressway (Illinois 92).

The lighted arches of Centennial Bridge seen from a River Bandits game at Modern Woodmen Park, Davenport. (photo by Jonathan Turner)

The project (which also technically has a “do nothing” alternative) must get approval from the Federal Highway Administration. Rock Island 1^st Ward Ald. Glen Evans, who represents the West End, prefers the 11^th Street option to help boost economic development in the area.

The states will continue to evaluate local input and recommend the best alternative, in late summer or early fall.

All public input is being documented and used to inform the project team’s evaluation of corridor improvements. Comments received by June 3, 2026 will be included in the official meeting record.

You can review materials and submit comments online at www.centennialbridge.com.

In 2017, the bridge was officially renamed as the Master Sgt. Stanley Talbot Memorial Bridge, in honor of an Illinois state trooper who died in 2001 — after injuries sustained from being dragged by a driver who was fleeing a roadside safety checkpoint in downtown Rock Island near the bridge.

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Jonathan Turner

Jonathan Turner -- who has called the Quad Cities home since 1995 -- has decades of experience as a professional journalist and pianist. His experience writing for daily newspapers, public radio and local TV encompasses a wide range of subjects, including the arts, politics, education, economic development, historic preservation, business, and tourism.

Jonathan most loves writing about music and the arts (which he now does as a freelancer for the River Cities Reader and Visit Quad Cities). He has a passion for accompanying musicals, singers, choirs and instrumentalists, including playing for QC Music Guild's 2023 productions of RENT and SWEENEY TODD. He is assistant music director and accompanist for the spring 2025 Music Guild show, ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE. He wrote an original musical based on The Book of Job, which premiered at Playcrafters in 2010. Jonathan penned a 175-page history book about downtown Davenport, that was published by The History Press in 2016, and a travel guide about the QC published by Reedy Press in 2022.