Officials mark opening of $80 million Mississippi bridge

SABULA, Iowa — An $80.6 million bridge crossing the Mississippi River to link Iowa and Illinois is opening after two years of construction.

Officials from the Iowa and Illinois transportation departments joined with local leaders Friday to celebrate completion of the bridge connecting Sabula, Iowa, with Savanna, Illinois. The bridge was expected to open to traffic Friday evening.

The bridge replaces a span that opened in 1932 as a private toll bridge. The old bridge will be dismantled in the spring.

The new bridge is 40 feet across, double the width of the old bridge, and more than 2,400 feet long.

The closest crossing of the Mississippi is 20 miles away, connecting Clinton, Iowa, and Fulton, Illinois.

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