A twin steel-arch bridge designed by Miguel Rosales of Beacon Hill now adorns a USPS stamp.
The I-74 Mississippi River Bridge, which spans the river connecting the Quad cities between Iowa and Illinois, comprises a pair of twin steel arches, with its twin decks and main arch spans stretching over the river’s navigation channel. Like the main cable-stayed span of the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge – another bridge Rosales helped design – the arches of the I-74 Mississippi River Bridge are illuminated at night, and they sit above a pair of sculptural concrete piers, making it a beacon along the river visible from the four surrounding cities (i.e. Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, and Moline and Rock Island, Ill., respectively).
The $700 million bridge was completed last year, replacing two identical, existing suspension bridges, which had long been regarded among the region’s most-iconic architectural symbols.
“I am proud to have conceived the original bridge concept for the I-74 Mississippi River Bridge between Iowa and Illinois,” Rosales, president and founder of the Boston bridge design firm, Rosales + Partners, wrote in an email. “The twin arches over the important navigable river have instantly become iconic symbols of the Quad Cities in a similar way that the Zakim bridge is also symbolic of Boston and the region. We are grateful that the community and the owner of the bridge, the Iowa Department of Transportation, built a lasting landmark bridge that will be a source of pride for generations to come. Having a USPS stamp showcasing our bridge design is rewarding and a powerful source of inspiration.”
The I-74 Mississippi River Bridge is one of four bridges that now adorn the USPS’ non-denominated, presorted, First Class Mail-rate (25-cent value) Bridge stamps, along with the Arrigoni Bridge connecting Middletown and Portland, Conn.; the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge between Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Omaha, Neb.; and the Skydance Bridge in Oklahoma City, Okla.
To purchase and for more information on the USPS’ Bridges stamps, visit https://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2023/pb22628/html/info_005.htm.