Photo: MoDot Construction Cam November 27th at 1 pm CST, MoDot Courtesy

PERRYVILLE, Mo (NewsFirst) – Work is progressing on the Chester Bridge crossing the Mississippi River between Chester, IL and Perryville, MO.

Missouri Department of Transportation contractor crews began construction work on the Don Welge Memorial Bridge over the Mississippi River in September. The $286 million design-build project, will construct a new bridge that spans the Mississippi River, connecting the cities of Perryville, Missouri and Chester, Illinois via MO Route 51/IL Route 150.

In March 2023, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission announced the selection of The Ames Team as the design-build contractor to replace the current structure. Since that time, project staff have been working with the contractor and local entities to obtain all necessary permits.

Artist rendering of completed bridge. MoDot Courtesy

Work will be ongoing throughout the project and motorists are asked to use extreme caution traveling through the area. Large trucks and equipment will be utilized and will need to access with worksite. No major impacts to traffic are anticipated at this time. Travelers should also expect to see a variety of utility work being conducted on both sides of the river.

The project has a completion date of December 2026.

Artist rendering of completed bridge. MoDot Courtesy

Click here to watch the progress on the construction cams: Chester Bridge | Missouri Department of Transportation (modot.org)