ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — More than 28,000 people have signed the petition to turn the 55-year-old I-80 bridge into a Bison Bridge and the traction behind the notion only continues to grow.
Environmentalist icon, Quad City native, and President of Living Lands and Waters Chad Pregracke unveiled a project to repurpose the I-80 bridge to bring new interest to the Quad Cities from the local and national level by turning it into a wildlife view and tourist spot.
The proposal follows a study from the Illinois Department of Transportation into a replacement for the 55-year-old bridge, and Pregracke saw the news as an opportunity. The opportunity would turn the current bridge into a land bridge with several notable features for tourists and locals alike.
Its flagship icon would be a Bison preserve that goes across the bridge itself, also using 100 acres of land around the bridge as their grazing area. Bison would be able to roam free in the area and across the bridge from Illinois to Iowa.
The complex would also have a pedestrian wildlife viewing area and walkway, rentable event space, a visitor's center, a picturesque view of the river valley and neighboring towns of LeClaire, Iowa, and Rapids City, Illinois.
In speaking with Pregracke on Friday, April 23rd, 2021, News 8 learned about the milestone of more than 28,000 people signing the petition to turn the bridge into this landmark. Pregracke says it would help put the Quad Cities on the map in a unique way that even the naysayers would probably take a moment to check out.
You can learn more about the Bison Bridge Project by clicking here. You can also sign the petition here.