Quad-City Times from Davenport, Iowa • A1

00 1 COMICS B9 ECONOMY A8 LOCAL A3 A6 OBITUARIES A4-A5 PUZZLES B7 $2 Volume 165, Issue 30 A Lee Enterprises Newspaper Copyright 2020 Follow us online: facebook.com/qctimes twitter.com/qctimes instagram.com/qctimes MOSTLY SUNNY 57 26 FORECAST, A10 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2020 qctimes.com Get history delivered with our archives newsletter. Sign up AT QCTIMES.COM SARAH HAYDEN State Rep. Mike Halpin, D-Rock Island, is recovering from COVID-19 after ve days of en- during chills and fever. Halpin said his test result came back positive on Monday, but he believes he con- tracted coronavi- rus from a family friend on Oct. 31.

feeling better now, but I had woken up on Election Day in the middle of the night with fever and Hal- pin said. that point, I made the decision to con- tact the doctor. For about ve days or so, I was in a lot of pain with a headache and fever. I never had any trouble breathing, but it was nitely a miserable ve days. TOM BARTON The last time an Iowa congres- sional race was this close, the U.S.

had yet to enter World War 1, Woodrow Wilson was president and U.S. troops were sent over the U.S.-Mexico border to pur- sue Pancho Villa and his Mexican raiders. As of Wednesday afternoon, Republican state Sen. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa led un- cial results by 47 votes over Democrat Rita Hart of Wheat- land in a race in which more than 394,000 votes have been cast. Iowa political and legal experts say guess whether that outcome will stand.

And Iowans may not have an cially declared winner in the un- called Iowa 2nd Congressional District race until after Thanksgiving. extraordinary to have a race this said Des Moines attorney and longtime Iowa GOP operative Doug Gross. the fact that (the candidate leading) changed a couple of times, I recall that ever happening. It makes you want to be even more careful and check every precinct, which makes it highly likely there will be a BARB ICKES The size is most striking. At 72 feet wide, the new Io- wa-bound span of the Inter- state 74 bridge would hold both of the existing spans with room to spare.

The newness of the deck, arch and design are striking too perhaps most dramatically when veering back to cross into Illinois on the old bridge. The days of absent shoulders and white-knuckle narrow- ness, rusty steel and crumbling concrete curbing soon will be a memory. For the tens of thousands of whose commute takes them across the Missis- sippi River between Moline and Bettendorf, the transition will be akin to going from a lumpy twin bed to a custom-made California King. nitely an exciting time for the said George Ryan, Interstate 74 cor- ridor manager. an iconic structure, no doubt about By the pre-dawn hours of Friday morning, the rst of the new twin spans will be open for business.

A group of about a dozen local journalists and Chamber and Bi- State Regional Authority mem- bers were invited Wednesday morning for a walking tour of the westbound span. Among the gawkers was Bi- Denise Bulat, who said she has been working on a re- placement for the too-small crossings since 1994. and talking about the new design feels like de- cades Ryan said to Bulat as the pair gazed overhead at the sweeping signature arches. After years of watching con- struction from the Bettendorf bike path along the riverfront far below, the change in per- spective brought size into focus. Workers climbed in and out of the person-sized port- holes as they applied nishing touches to the lighting system inside and gave up-close proof of the vastness of the interior.

just a great day in the Ryan declared. will have it better in the Quad-Cities than had it in years. be a lot safer than ever been in the In the coming weeks, the Io- wa-bound span will accommo- date two-way tra c. Workers placed barricades down the center of the span Wednesday, so Illinois-bound tra also can use the new crossing when workers are ready to make the shift. The existing bridge will re- main in use for local tra basically a way to ferry motor- ists between the Moline and Bettendorf downtowns.

The new Illinois-bound bridge is expected to be ready for traf- by this time next year, and then demolition plans will be set in motion for both old spans. A year behind schedule, the $1.2 billion project, which in- cludes the expanded interstate, remains on budget, Ryan said. Recount almost certain in House 2 race Halpin faced 5 days of fever Take a sneak peek at our new I-74 bridge Q-C honors veterans Sun shines on Veterans Day parade LOCAL, A3 Heart and soul Kipper is the package as a running SPORTS, B1 Tour showcases size days ahead of its opening A construction worker on the I-74 bridge on Wednesday. The old Interstate 74 bridge is in the background. JESSICA GALLAGHER PHOTOS A construction worker peeks outside from the inside of one of the arches on the Interstate 74 bridge Wednesday Nov.

11, 2020. More than three years after construction began, drivers will soon be able to use half of the new I-74 bridge across the Mississippi River. Friday morning, the westbound lanes will open, carrying tra from Moline to Bettendorf. A construction worker works on the I-74 bridge Wednesday. Friday morning, the westbound lanes will open between Moline and Bettendorf.

Miller-Meeks Hart COVID-19 State rep. on the mend; RI County oces hit by virus Halpin Weikert INSIDE: Q-C reports 619 new COVID-19 cases, two more deaths. LOCAL, PAGE A3 Please see HALPIN, Page A5 Please see RECOUNT, Page A2.