Don Welge Memorial Bridge Explained

Bridge Name:	Don Welge Memorial Bridge
Official Name:	Don Welge Memorial Bridge
Also Known As:	New Chester Bridge
Carries:	2 lanes of / (planned)
Crosses:	Mississippi River
Locale:	Perryville, Missouri and Chester, Illinois
Design:	Cable-stayed bridge
Begin:	2023
Complete:	2026 (planned)
Cost:	$284 million (2023 estimate)

The Don Welge Memorial Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge currently under construction across Mississippi River, which will connect Perryville, Missouri and Chester, Illinois using Missouri's Route 51 and Illinois's Route 150.^[1] It is planned to be the successor to the current Chester Bridge, which was built in 1942 and reconstructed in 1946 after a severe thunderstorm destroyed the main span.

The bridge is named after Don Welge, a former Chester resident and longtime advocate for a new bridge for the last 15 years of his life until his death in 2020.^{[2] [3]} The first plans for a new bridge were developed in March 2018,^[4] and construction began in September 2023.^{[5] [6]}

See also

• List of crossings of the Upper Mississippi River

Notes and References

1. Web site: Chester Bridge. Missouri Department of Transportation. December 23, 2023.
2. Web site: New Chester bridge named after former resident, longtime bridge advocate. Ruch. Amber. KFVS-TV. October 27, 2020. December 23, 2023.
3. Web site: Bill Status of HJR0038 . 103rd General Assembly-Illinois . 15 August 2024.
4. Web site: Environmental study being conducted on the Chester, IL Bridge. Ruch. Amber. KFVS-TV. March 14, 2018. December 23, 2023.
5. Web site: Construction on the Route 51 Mississippi River Bridge Begins in Perry County. Missouri Department of Transportation. September 5, 2023. December 23, 2023.
6. Web site: Crews start construction work on the new Chester Bridge this week. Mohundro. Mike. WSILTV. September 5, 2023. December 23, 2023.