ALTON, IL – The Byway Discover Center and the Hartford’s Lewis and Clark Confluence Tower expansion project both are on track to be ready in spring of 2026.

Both activation projects of the National Scenic Byway corridor are funded by a portion of a $10 million capital bill grant. The recipient, Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau, used the money “to create and enhance products that celebrate the region’s working rivers and history of the region along the 33-mile Scenic Byway, which runs from Hartford to just north of Grafton.”

What You Need To Know

  • The Byway Discovery Center is a new visitor orientation building to be constructed near the mouth of Piasa creek with a variety of outdoor amenities

  • Hartford's Lewis and Clark Confluence Tower expansion project adds a new playscape area, expansion, public art installations, and renovations to the tower and visitor center that's being expanded highlighting the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the American Bottoms Natural Heritage Area

  • Both projects are on track for spring 2026

  • The construction of each is being done by Illinois-based businesses

The Byway Discovery Center is a new 4,500-square-foot visitor orientation building to be constructed near the mouth of Piasa Creek. The Center will feature new landscaping, parking with motor coach buses accessibility, outdoor learning and gathering areas, outdoor art installation, a riverside trail, a kayak landing, and interpretive panels.

It’ll be immediately upstream from the US Army Corps of Engineers Piasa Creek recreation Area and Boater Access. The Center will include a 1,400-square-foot exhibit space, a gift shop, lecture facilities and public restrooms. O

The second project is further downstream near the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Major renovations for the Lewis & Clark Confluence Tower site in Hartford include improvements to the tower, a new play-scape area for children, park expansion, public art installations, and an updated expansion to the visitor center highlighting the Lewis & Clark Expedition and the American Bottoms Natural Heritage Area.

“This is the perfect partnership and what I believe to be the best compatible use for the site,” said Alley Ringhausen of the Great Rivers Land Trust. “Not only is it a beautiful building that is proposed, but the location is ideal for people traveling the National Great Rivers Scenic Byway. It is centrally located along the corridor and offers visitors direct access to the river for additional recreational activities. Great Rivers Land Trust is excited to be part of the project.”