Setting it straight: the closure between Sabula and Savanna

While local news that takes place outside of the Metro is not something the Bettendorf Growl typically covers, there is something that needs to be set straight.

The Iowa Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that the bridge and causeway would be closed between Savanna, Illinois and Sabula, Iowa.

Many local outlets are reporting the "bridge between Savanna and Sabula will be shut down for months," which is confusing local residents.

For those unfamiliar with the area, Sabula is an island; therefore, a bridge connects Savanna to a causeway that connects the bridge to Sabula.

The former Savanna-Sabula Bridge was recently replaced by the new Dale Gardner Veterans Memorial Bridge which opened to traffic in Nov. 2017.

Many headlines floating around are making it seem as though the new Veterans Memorial Bridge is the cause for the closure between the two communities, which is a cause for concern many have expressed in social media.

However, a portion of the causeway set to be replaced in the coming months is experiencing failures in the piers and settlements, causing a closure of both the causeway and the new bridge.

A photo captured by the Clinton Telegraph Herald shows what appears to be a partial collapse on a smaller bridge of the causeway in Sabula.

The work to replace the portion of the causeway will now begin earlier than expected.

The Iowa Department of Transportation says the bridge and causeway could remained closed until late May.