The original Champ Clark Bridge on US 54 over the Mississippi River was built in 1928. Construction for the new bridge included four river piers, each founded on 11-foot 6-inch-diameter drilled shafts, with three land piers that incorporate 48-inch-diameter pipe pile foundations and columns. The five river spans utilize steel plate girders, and the approaches utilized precast concrete girders. We doubled the current bridge’s width with 12-foot lanes and 10-foot shoulders to address issues with oversized loads and to provide a safer river crossing. 

The project included significant approach work on the Illinois side, reconstruction and raising of a critical levy, as well as the rehabilitation and expansion of the adjacent intersection on the Missouri side, which included drainage improvements and enhanced lighting.

By leveraging our extensive experience with very large diameter drilled shafts and major marine-based bridge projects, we produced a final design that reduced the number of shafts by 33 percent and utilized 12-foot-deep steel girders for the majority of this structure. Phased and early release design packages allowed for the majority of the river pier foundation work to be completed prior to the final design package being Issued for Construction.

 Project Awards:

2020 Design Build Institute of America (DBIA) National Merit Award – Transportation Category

2020 Design Build Institute of America (DBIA) National Award of Excellence – Transportation Category

2020 Design Build Institute of America Mid-America Region (DBIA-MAR) Award (To be announced Nov 12)

2020 The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Awards Quality of Life/Community Development Award

2020 AGC of Missouri Keystone Award (Honorable Mention) - General Contractor/ Construction Manager/Prime Contractor - Transportation & Infrastructure 

2019 MoDOT Outstanding Contractor of the Year Award (Civil Rights Compliance/DBE Training Symposium)

2018 Illinois Department of Transportation Above and Beyond Award (Project DBE and Workforce Diversity Goals)