By BETH ZUMWALT
The new bridge, crossing the Illinois River, at Florence will not happen this summer as scheduled.
The construction has been delayed to the land acquisition and permitting activities, according to Paul Wappel, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Transportation.
“We are hopeful to advertise the project for bid early in 2026,” Wappel said.
The bridge was originally planned to start construction in 2024, but, was bumped back to this construction season. Now it appears another year will pass before the new bridge, 300 feet south, of the existing bridge will be built.
The Illinois 100/106, Florence Bridge, River Crossing Study was started in April 2016, and was initially anticipated to take three years to complete. This study represents the Phase I, the planning portion of the project, which provides preliminary engineering and environmental impact evaluation to guide the project in future phases of work. The replacement of the Florence Bridge is included in IDOT’s FY 2023-2028 Highway Improvement Program which includes funding for preliminary and construction engineering, archeology surveys, land acquisition, utility relocations and construction.
