The bridge was constructed from August 1954 to May 1956, and the bridge opened at the end of June 1956.
Illinois Lieutenant Governor John William Chapman said that the bridge would have a "considerable impact on the improvement of the economic and traffic pattern of Iowa and Illinois".
Iowa Governor Leo Hoegh called the bridge a "masterpiece in engineering" and praised Iowa for its role in the project.
Henry O. Talle, a congressman who represented
Iowa's 2nd congressional district, stated that the bridge opening was "something worthy to be remembered." In 1982, the
Illinois-
Iowa Department of Transportation announced that tolls would be discontinued on the bridge. From February to December 1999, the Gateway Bridge closed for a construction upgrade, which had an estimate cost of $10.6 million. It was closed in March 2006 for repainting and reconstruction of Route 30 on the Illinois side of the river, and reopened in November 2006. Traffic on
U.S. Route 30 intending to cross the river was detoured north to the
Lyons-Fulton Bridge. From October 1, 2018, to October 4, 2018, the lane on the bridge closed for bridge inspections. == See also ==