Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Opens Don Welge Memorial Bridge
The Missouri and Illinois departments of transportation hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the opening of the Don Welge Memorial Bridge on July 11. The ceremony took place on the newly constructed bridge.
The Don Welge Memorial Bridge spans the Mississippi River and connects Perryville, Mo., and Chester, Ill., via Missouri Route 51/Illinois Route 150.
The project to replace the historic Chester Iron Bridge took four years to complete, with the search for funding beginning in 2022 and construction beginning in 2023. In March 2023, the Ames Team, composed of Ames Construction Inc. and Parsons Transportation Group, was selected to design and build the Don Welge Memorial Bridge. The project features a three-tower, cable-stayed bridge and represents a combined investment of approximately $307.1 million by MoDOT and IDOT.
A separately organized 5K run/walk began at 7 a.m. on the bridge. Only registered participants were allowed on the new bridge prior to 9 a.m. Following the race, the bridge was opened to the public.
The new bridge was 85% federally funded, with the rest split between Missouri and Illinois. The complete removal of the aging 1940s-era truss bridge it replaces will mark the final phase of the project, which is on track to wrap up by December 1.
Don Welge was president and CEO of Gilster-Mary Lee, a private-label food manufacturer that is more than 100 years old and has 11 locations in the region.
