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Bad bridge means lengthy detour for truck drivers

Posted October 23, 2007 11:00 pm

Doug Finke

A deteriorating bridge on Illinois 97 west of Springfield is going to mean a long detour for truck drivers for at least the next year.

The Illinois Department of Transportation plans to place a 15-ton weight limit on the small bridge at Prairie Creek about five miles west of Springfield. To cover those five miles, however, trucks will have to make nearly a 40-mile loop that will take them to Petersburg.

"There's 500 trucks a day that cross that bridge," said Rep. Rich Brauer, R-Petersburg, who crosses it himself when he travels to Springfield. "You're going to add 40 miles one way to that trip."

The bridge is just east of the intersection of Illinois 97 and 125. IDOT's preferred detour calls for trucks to get on Illinois 4/Veterans Parkway in Springfield, turn north on Illinois 29 to Illinois 123, take that west to Petersburg, and then drive south on Illinois 97 back to the 97/125 intersection.

"It's not next door," acknowledged IDOT spokesman Brian Williamsen of the detour route. "We can't have (heavy trucks) driving on neighborhood roads."

The bridge has been deteriorating for years, but a recent inspection revealed the deck had gotten to the point that a load limit had to be imposed, Williamsen said. He said the inspection was routine and not prompted by this summer's bridge collapse in Minnesota.

The weight limit will go into effect in November. In the meantime, IDOT has placed signs near the bridge warning drivers that the weight restriction is coming.

IDOT's road plan calls for the bridge to be repaired, with the project tentatively scheduled to get under way next summer. If the timetable is met, the bridge could reopen to normal traffic about this time next year, Williamsen said.

The repairs can take place regardless of whether the General Assembly approves a new construction bond program, he added. However, if the plan is approved, the entire bridge could be replaced.

The bridge is heavily traveled by trucks carrying hogs to processing plants in Beardstown. Brauer said those trucks can easily weigh 40 tons, far exceeding the new weight limit.

"Grain haulers are going to be going crazy," added Rep. Raymond Poe, R-Springfield. "They can drive across empty, but not loaded. What about a garbage truck or a concrete truck? It's a terrible inconvenience."

The bridge is also used by school buses operated by the Pleasant Plains School District. About 11 buses a day travel over the bridge, carrying students mainly from the western fringes of Springfield, which are in the Plains district, said district transportation director Roger Anderson. However, Anderson said even a fully loaded bus weighs far less than 15 tons.

Doug Finke can be reached at (217) 788-1527 or doug.finke@sj-r.com.

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