East St. Louis bridge repairs likely won’t begin until later this summer. Here’s why
In Reality Check stories, Belleville News-Democrat journalists dig deeper into questions over facts, consequences and accountability. Story idea? newsroom@bnd.com.
Major repairs on the closed 26th Street bridge in East St. Louis may not begin until late July or early August, according to Kirk Brown, Region 5 engineer for the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Brown discussed the bridge and plans for its repair in an interview with the BND last week.
The bridge at 26th Street and Missouri Avenue incurred significant damage when a vehicle struck some of its trusses around April 14. State transportation officials, concerned over safety, closed the bridge after the accident. It has been closed ever since, to the consternation of local residents and businesses who have limited access to their neighborhoods and other concerns.
Brown said Illinois Department of Transportation officials are concerned about the impact of the closing too, but bridge safety is extremely important. The bridge is not safe to use until the damaged parts are replaced.
Brown does not have an estimate of when the bridge might reopen, but the process for fixing it has begun.
The challenge is that the bridge was built with what he called structural redundancy, he said. When certain parts of the bridge “are severely impacted, the chances are higher that you could have a catastrophic event” if you continue to allow motorists to use it before it is repaired, Brown said.
The transportation department is moving as fast as it can to get the repair work started and completed. The agency has been able to ``fast track our design process” as part of an emergency procurement.
“We have a contractor and design consultant already hired to do the assessment, design and repair. The design has already been produced, reviewed and approved by the IDOT of Bureau Bridges and structures,” Brown said.
“...The next key steps are that the replacement bridge components will have to be fabricated by a steel fabricator.”
The bridge is located over the Norfolk Southern rail yard.
Brown said there is a lengthy right of entry procedure that the transportation department has to complete with Norfolk and Southern.
“We are going through that currently with the railroad,” Brown said. “They’ve been very helpful with us so far.”
Brown said he does not know the exact time the bridge repairs will begin. He estimated it could be six to eight weeks.
If the fabrication of the replacement parts and the right of entry process are completed sooner than expected, “we will move to go faster,” Brown said.
This story was originally published June 13, 2024 at 6:15 AM.