Quad-City Times from Davenport, Iowa • B1

00 1 THE BIG STORY Sunday, OctOber 6, 2019 qctimes.com muscatinejournal.com SectIOn ALMA GAUL ifty years ago this month, newly married Jim and Vicki Peterson watched as a house they had pur- chased was hoisted on wheels and rolled across a four-lane highway to a new location, part of the prep work required to build Interstate 74 in Moline. While most of us take for granted that the interstate runs through Moline, that al- ways the case. The nationwide interstate sys- tem that we know today was still being constructed in October of 1969, and the state of Illinois had just wrapped up property acqui- sition for the Moline stretch, a process that had begun about 10 years earlier. In May, the state auctioned properties it had acquired, some through condemnation hear- ings in district court, according to archives of the Moline Daily Dispatch. Buildings either had be moved or salvaged at the expense, and the land had to be cleared within 30 days or the buildings would be demolished where they stood.

St. George Greek Orthodox Church and Thomas Jefferson Elementary School were razed, the Oakwood Country Club was sold, with the organiza- tion moving to Coal Valley, and somewhere around 20 houses, including the moved to new locations. Others were demolished. The Moline stretch of I-74 from the Quad-City Interna- tional Airport at the south to what was then the Iowa-Illinois Memorial Bridge at the north would be part of the mile network of divided, con- trolled-access highways span- ning the nation, authorized by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. While the disruption caused by the construction has parallels with work on the new In- terstate 74 bridge, the interstate was more transformational.

The new bridge is a replacement, after all, while the new inter- state was a brand new thing that changed America and changed Moline. really disrupted the whole center of the Peterson said. Long-time resident and for- mer mayor Stan Leach agrees. huge swath was cut through he said of Moline. it changed the city.

But it made it easier to get around. I guess we felt like it was prog- A Moline Daily Dispatch ed- itorial from June of 1961 noted that the interstate system rep- resented a change in the philosophy of moving surface and that the new arteries many effects upon the economic and social complexion of they go through or near. fact that Moline has been included in the interstate program is cause for great fu- ture the Dispatch wrote. economic benefits which accrue to those communi- ties on the interstate routes can be The Moline stretch was ded- icated on Dec. 11, 1975, but in 1969, that was six years in the future.

the Peterson house The house that the Petersons bought was special to them be- cause it was a family home. It had been built during 1947 by Jim parents when he was an infant, and he had grown up in it. As a young couple with the baby, the Petersons needed a house, and was a lot of tied to child- hood home, Vicki Peterson said. His siblings were older and already had homes, so it made sense that Jim and Vicki should be the ones to buy the home place. A new foundation was dug on a large lot at 2801 26th St.

and the house was prepped. At first, movers going to include the attached, two-car garage, but Jim Peterson insisted. He regrets not insisting that the WHEN INTERSTATE 74 CUT THROUGH MOLINE 50 years ago, homes were moved, buildings were razed, and the city changed forever MeG McLauGHLIn, Jim and Vicki Peterson became part of Moline history 50 years ago this October when they moved the house behind them to its current location on 26th Street. Moving the home from its original location on 19th Street was a prelude to the construction of Interstate 74 through Moline. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Traffic stopped as the Peterson home moved across 19th Street to its new location on 26th Street.

The home had to be moved or demolished because it was in the path of the new Interstate 74 through Moline. The dedication On Dec. 11, 1975, a crowd of dig- nitaries and regular people gath- ered at the Interstate 74 bridge in Moline to christen historic completion of the final length of the Quad-City interstate network, the stretch of Interstate 74 be- tween Bettendorf and according to an article in the Quad- City Times. National Guard helicopters buzzed overhead and the Moline High School band played the na- tional anthem. traffic congestion you have been experiencing for years will be Ann Pellegreno, com- missioner of the Iowa Department of Transportation, proclaimed to the crowd.

Following the ceremony at- tended by Pellegreno and then-Il- linois Gov. Daniel Walker, the I-74 section between 3rd and 23rd av- enues was opened to the public. Work on the final section had be- gun in June 1973. The road from the Rock River to the Mississippi River cost about $41 million, including right-of-way acquisition and land- scaping, according to the Times. With the opening, I-74 then ran 416 miles from the Quad-Cities to Cincinnati, Ohio, crossing the entire state of Illinois and connecting with Interstate 80 in Scott County.

handsome roadway, dip- ping and curving through Moline and Bettendorf to intersect with I-80 at two points, is the final lap in a concrete coil that circles the Quad-Cities, linking the in- dustrial-agricultural hub with the crisscross of interstate the Times wrote.Please see MOLIne, Page B2 Includes departures and all applicable taxes! Prices valid thru SouthPark Mall 309-762-8800 NorthPark Mall 563-386-4400 Duck Creek 563-359-6500 Mon-Fri 9-9Sat 10-6 Sun Travel.com per person based on double occupancy (unless otherwise stated) including round-trip airfare from via Exclusive Nonstop Vacation Flights or other U.S. certified air carriers, round-trip transfers, hotel taxes and baggage handling, fuel surcharges, the services of a Representative in select destinations, and all pre-collected U.S. and foreign taxes and fees. Rates do not include car rental or transfers. Punta Cana via Frontier Airlines, Huatulco via Viva In some instances, pricing may specifically apply to one of multiple flights on select departure days.

dates may apply. All packages are based on the lowest classes available at time of publication, capacity controlled and subject to availability and change without notice. Promotional pricing may only be available for a limited time. Some resorts do not include watersports. Fees may apply for carry-on baggage based on air carrier, as well as checked baggage-visit applevacations.com/baggage.

Apple Vacations is not responsible for errors or omissions. Cancellation policies apply. See the Apple Vacations Fair Trade Contract. CST2139014-20 AD9625-25478 Riu Republica Punta Cana 5 ALL-INCLUSIVE! Adults-Only Includes $2190 resort credit per room (restrictions apply)! Dec 6 7 nts only DreamsHuatulco Resort Spa 6 Sip, Savor See! Nonstop transfers an Apple Exclusive! Includes $200 in resort coupons per room! Nov 9 7 nts only SecretsHuatulco Resort Spa 6 Sip, transfers anAppleExclusive! in resort couponsper room! Nov 16 7 nts only IberostarDominicana Punta Cana 5 ALL-INCLUSIVE! resort credit per room (restrictions apply)! Jan 4, 5, 6 7 nts only.