Construction of the new Don Welge Memorial Bridge at Chester officially got underway Tuesday.
The Illinois Department of Transportation joined state and local leaders, along with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission and the Missouri Department of Transportation for the event.
Through a combined $307 million investment between Illinois and Missouri, the project will replace the aging Chester Bridge that carries Illinois 150 and Missouri 51 over the Mississippi River from Randolph County to Perry County, Missouri.
The project, which will be overseen by MoDOT and constructed using a design-build approach, will be completed in December 2026. The new bridge will be named in honor of former Chester resident and longtime bridge advocate Don Welge.
The new bridge will be twice as wide as the current structure, built in 1942.
