PIKE & SCOTT: Florence bridge closer to becoming a reality
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By BETH ZUMWALT
Submitted graphic
A faint line (somewhat highlighted) just south of the existing roadway and bridge shows where the new bridge will be placed. Motorists coming from the east, headed west, will go straight on Old Highway Road and not make the S curves that are the approach to the bridge. Those traveling east will follow 106/100 to the neighborhood of Tollgate, where the road will veer to the east onto the bridge approach. The Florence Hill will still be there to accommodate this going to Florence. The road going to the Central Stone Quarry and the road going to the Village of Florence will be more aligned and not have the jog over.
While it has been discussed for the past couple of years and wished for much longer than that, plans are being finalized to build a new bridge at Florence, over the Illinois River.
Submitted graphic
An artist rendering of what the new bridge at Florence looks like according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. Construction of the new bridge is to begin next year and continue for 24-30 months with another 12 months scheduled to tear down the existing bridge.
Paul Wappel, public information officer at the Illinois Department of Transportation, says the permits are being obtained, necessary property being purchased and the disposal of the old bridge.
“For historic bridges that are to be demolished, require a bridge must be made available for donation to a state, locality, or responsible party who agrees to maintain and preserve the historic significance of the bridge and assume all legal and financial responsibility,” Wappel said. “A public notice offering donation was advertised twice in four local newspapers in January and March 2019. No responses of interest were received from the advertisement by the April 15, 2019 deadline. Since there were no interested parties, IDOT has video recorded the existing bridge capturing its historical characteristics and developed a video summarizing the history of lift bridges over the Illinois River which is available to the public. The video can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piBZZrzu9YU”
Wappel said the permits have been requested from the Army Corp of Engineers, Coast Guard, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and others.
The bridge is estimated to cost $140 million, but Wappel cautioned the state is closely monitoring the cost due to the rapidly rising cost of materials.
The new bridge and approach, which will be 300 feet south of the current bridge will require the acquisition of 54.8 total acres of land, in Scott and Pike Counties, for the bridge and approaches. Letters with offers have been sent to the property owners. According to both the Pike County Clerk’s Office and the Scott County County Clerk, no property transactions have been recorded involving the transfer of property to the state of Illinois as of May 23.
The new bridge will include wider traffic lanes to accommodate agricultural equipment and bicyclists. In addition to raising the width of the crossing, the height will be elevated to allow for improved safety for both river and roadway traffic. There have been several accidents on the draw-bridge, at least two with fatalities. Barges have frequently struck the bridge, resulting in closures while the bridge was expected for structural damages.
Once the property is obtained and the bids let, Rappel expects to see construction next year.
“It will take 24-30 months to build the bridge, and another 12 to take down the old one,” Wappel said. “Rt 100/106 should stay open for the majority of the time. We expect two, 30 day closures. One when we install the road drainage system and the other as we do the tie-ins to the existing roadways.”
He said there will be a posted detour route to Florence for the businesses and residents there.
The bridge opened May 19, 1930 and has undergone several rehabilitation and repair projects in an effort to prolong the life of the bridge, but with the parts to operate the bridges ability to raise and lower for barge traffic and other structural deficiencies, the state has opted to replace it. The new bridge will eliminate the need for a 24-7, 365, lift span operator.
