Welge Family joins Missouri and Illinois Departments of Transportation to commemorate the official start of construction
By Jim Beers, contributing writer
MISSISSIPPI RIVER BANK, Mo. – It was a cold, brisk, windy day Tuesday October 31 at 11 a.m. when Missouri and Illinois Departments of Transportation held an “official” groundbreaking ceremony at the construction site of the Don Welge Memorial Bridge.
It was Halloween morning but there were “no tricks, just treats” as a large gathering of Don Welge’s family, Ames Construction Team members, both City of Perryville and City of Chester dignitaries, Missouri and Illinois politicians, TV, radio, newspaper and other media sources, as well as other interested parties, gathered to attend the ceremony and witness the groundbreaking.
Tom Welge of Chester, CEO of Gilster Mary-Lee and youngest son of Don Welge, gives a presentation at the “Official” Groundbreaking for the Don Welge Memorial Bridge that is being built to connect Perryville, Missouri and Chester, Illinois. Jim Beers Photo
Attending for the Welge Family were Don’s Wife Mary Alice, Don’s oldest son, Rob and his wife Paige, their son, Austin, Don’s youngest son, Tom, and Don’s brother, Mike.
The bridge is being named the Don Welge Memorial Bridge in memory of Don Welge who recently passed away as a result of complications related to the Covid-19 virus.
According the official brochure handed out at the ceremony, “Don Welge was a Chester native who became one of Southern Illinois’s most influential businessmen. As the President and CEO of the Gilster Mary-Lee Corporation and a driving force behind economic development, Welge realized the importance of this major bridge. The new structure will carry the name of Don Welge, who was known as an advocate for the region.”
Stephen Travia, Illinois Department of Transportation Director, addresses the crowd at the “Official” Groundbreaking Ceremony at the worksite of the Don Welge Memorial Bridge. Jim Beers Photo
Guest speakers for the ceremony included Brian Okenfuss, MoDOT Project Director, Stephen Travia, IDOT Director, Dustin Boatwright, Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission Vice Chair, and Tom Welge, Don Welge’s youngest son and CEO of Gilster Mary-Lee.
The official ceremony opened with a greeting and comments by Okenfuss. Okenfuss also served as master of ceremonies for the event.
Okenfuss said, “I am going to be brief today because of the cold weather and very windy conditions. Don was always a tireless advocate for a new bridge. He was always reaching out, saying, “We need a new bridge.”
Members of the Welge Family of Chester took part in the “Official” Groundbreaking at the site of the Don Welge memorial Bridge. Pictured (left to right) are Tom Welge, youngest son of Don Welge; Austin Welge, grandson of Don Welge and son of Don’s oldest son, Rob Welge; Paige Welge, daughter-in-law of Don Welge and wife of Rob Welge; Mary Alice Welge, wife of the late Don Welge; and Rob Welge, oldest son of Don Welge. Not pictured: Mike Welge, brother of Don Welge. Jim Beers Photo
It was noted that the original Chester Bridge, was constructed in 1942. Portions of the bridge had to be re-built in 1944 after sustaining major damage in a tornado. The Chester Bridge has allowed vehicles to cross the Mississippi River between Perryville, Missouri and Chester, Illinois.
Prior to having the bridge, the only other nearby means of crossing the “Mighty Mississippi” was to take a ferry. The closest other bridges were located an hour in each direction, one in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and the other in St. Louis Missouri.
The Chester Bridge currently spans the Mississippi River, and connects Perryville and Chester via Missouri Route 51 and Illinois Route 150. The bridge has 14 spans for a total length of 2,827 feet. There are two primary spans of 670 feet each. The bridge is 22 feet wide and has a vertical clearance of 19 feet and six inches.
The bridge carries more than 7,000 vehicles per day. Approximately 25 percent of those 7,000 vehicles are involved with commercial endeavors. Currently, when some large farm machinery or other large commercial vehicles cross the bridge, police must temporally close normal bridge traffic to enable those larger vehicles to cross safely and without blocking other vehicles.
The Don Welge Memorial Bridge will be a three-tower, cable-stayed bridge constructed just a bit upstream from the current Chester Bridge. The new bridge will be twice as wide as the existing structure so that it will be able to accommodate modern vehicles of all sizes.
The cost of the Don Welge Memorial Bridge is predicted to be approximately $284 million and is estimated to be completed by the end of 2026 barring any unforeseen difficulties.
Don Welge’s youngest son, Tom spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony and fondly remembered watching his father work feverishly over the years in hopes of seeing the new bridge come to fruition.
Tom Welge said, “As a lifelong resident of Chester and active citizen in our Southeast and Southern Illinois Regions, he understood the importance of this crossing to the agricultural business and tourism interests in both states.”
“He knew that products manufactured here end up across the nation and around the world. A safe and efficient bridge crossing allows raw materials to come in, employees to get to their jobs, and finished goods to arrive at their destinations.”
Tom Welge and his family members that joined him at the event were much honored to be involved in the ceremony and were appreciative of the fact that Don’s long time dreams regarding the construction of the bridge had finally come true.
It is most unfortunate, however, that Don was not been able to be there to witness the actual building of the new state-of-the art bridge that will bear his name.
Although the “official” groundbreaking took place Tuesday October 31, the Ames Team, which is comprised of Ames Construction, Inc., and Parsons Transportation Group, have been working at the site of construction for months and are progressing well.
David Duke, Ames Construction Manager, said, “Construction has been going well overall. Just prior to Labor Day we did a little work on our parking lot on the Missouri side of the river, but we couldn’t actually begin construction until all of the permits and paperwork was completed and signed.”
“After Labor Day all was signed and we began the actual construction. Weather and the river have both been cooperating so we have been able to accomplish a lot since the beginning of September.