MOLINE, Ill. — Four stories up at the Overlook Village retirement community in Moline, a group of four is looking on.
"This is really a wonderful place to be up on the hill, because you can see it all," said Richard Luthanen.
Luthanen and his wife moved to Overlook Village in September 2020, and have been watching the bridge's progress ever since from their balcony on the fourth floor.
On Wednesday, Luthanen and his down-the-hall neighbor Tom Peterson met outside on Luthanen's balcony to watch the last arch piece be installed on the new I-74 bridge.
"It's certainly been a good conversation piece around here," Luthanen said. "And we've all kinda watched it come together, so it's giving us a good pastime."
Peterson and his wife have watched the progress since they moved in to Overlook Village in January 2020.
"Now we're on the other side, so we don't have the same view," Peterson said.
But his nieghbor, Luthanen, had just the right tool to help watch that progress, when the last arch piece was set on Wednesday.
"The spotting scope that he's got is, brings it right in close," Peterson said.
That telescope is set up in Luthanen's living room, and looks right out the patio door to the I-74 bridge.
Peterson said he made some new friends during the COVID-19 pandemic, with more restrictions on guests and visitors. This friend gave Peterson a chance to see a piece of Quad City history up close, even though the apartment is miles away from the construction site.
"I can tell my kids and our grandkids that we saw it, they weren't able to experience because they don't live here or have the opportunity to oversee it like we can," Peterson said.
So as the last arch piece went into place, Peterson took some photos, which he plans to share with family, he said.
The group watched from afar as completion on the historic bridge project gets even closer.