A major transportation project connecting Illinois and Missouri has reached completion as the new Don Welge Memorial Bridge prepares to open to motorists. Ames Construction completed the multi-year bridge replacement, delivering a new Mississippi River crossing designed to improve regional connectivity between Chester, Illinois, and Perryville, Missouri.
The bridge is scheduled to open to traffic on July 13 after a community celebration and ribbon-cutting event on July 11.
The Don Welge Memorial Bridge replaces an important river crossing that serves commuters, commercial traffic, and local communities on both sides of the Mississippi River.
The project required years of planning, coordination, engineering, and construction to deliver the new transportation link connecting southern Illinois and southeast Missouri.
The completed bridge is expected to support safer and more efficient travel while providing long-term transportation infrastructure for the region.
To recognize completion of the project, the Chester Chamber of Commerce named Ames Construction its 2026 Business of the Year alongside designers, trade partners, and other organizations involved in delivering the bridge.
The recognition acknowledges the collaborative effort required to complete one of the region's significant infrastructure projects.
Bridge replacement projects remain a key component of transportation infrastructure investment across the United States. For transportation agencies, contractors, and construction owners, projects such as the Don Welge Memorial Bridge improve long-term network reliability while creating opportunities for heavy civil contractors, structural steel specialists, concrete suppliers, and infrastructure trade partners.
Source: Ames Construction.
