MOUNT CARMEL, Ill. — While not yet open to traffic, the new bridge over the Wabash River at Mount Carmel was dedicated Wednesday during a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by state and local dignitaries from Illinois and Indiana.
The bridge carries Illinois Route 15/Indiana 64 across the Wabash River into Gibson County, Ind., linking Mount Carmel to Princeton, Ind., 10 miles to the east. The new structure replaces a nearly 80-year-old steel girder span that is 22 feet wide. Construction of the new bridge began March 25, 2008, and created or sustained an estimated 398 jobs.
"The new bridge structure will improve safety, increase traffic capacity and provide better access to businesses in both Illinois and Indiana," said Gary Hannig, secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation. "The completed project along with the newly widened lanes will promote the safe distribution and movement of goods and services throughout the region and decrease the likelihood of crashes and injuries."
Completion of the bridge is welcome news to farmers such as Tom Hoffman of Mount Carmel who makes as many as seven round trips across the Wabash each growing season with oversized planters, disks and combines. To use the current bridge, traffic has to be shut down by local police to allow the equipment to pass safely.
Hoffman said his greatest fear always has been that an ambulance would need to cross the bridge while he's trying to move farming equipment. The wider roadway should eliminate the problem.
The new bridge will feature 12-foot-wide lanes with a 12-foot shoulder in each direction. Pavement connectors will be installed on the new bridge and traffic will be phased in from the old structure to the new bridge within a few weeks, transportation officials said.
Demolition of the old structure is scheduled to start in late December.
The bridge was built by Midwest Foundation Corp. of Tremont, Ill., and Halverson Construction Company, Inc. of Springfield, Ill., at a cost of $30,645,615.72.