Following demolition of the old bridge and construction of the new expanse joining Savanna, Illinois & Sabula,Iowa; a dedication ceremony was held on June 18, 2018. The new bridge was dedicated and renamed in the honor of local veteran, Dale Gardner. Gardner grew up in Savanna, served in the U.S Navy in Viet Nam and spent over fourteen days in space as a mission specialist astronaut for NASA. The bridge is named the Dale Gardner Veterans Memorial Bridge, but it honors all those who have served.
The dedication ceremony brought together locals from the communities of Sabula and Savanna, family members of Gardner and state officials including Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner and Illinois State Representative & Savanna native, Tony McCombie. In his dedication speech Governor Rauner said, "Today we take this very special bridge and we permanently dedicate it to the veterans of the United States of America."
Image Credit: Roger Husband
