Illinois 15 bridge work on track for summer completion

Work on the long-delayed Illinois 15 bridge project over Illinois 13 is expected to be completed in the summer as construction crews proceed on tasks below the road level, the Illinois Department of Transportation said.

The rain in late December and early January that led to flooding in the St. Louis region also affected the bridge work site. The rain water led to movement in a temporary retaining wall, said supervising field engineer Steve Putz.

Ground near the temporary wall had been excavated and became saturated with water.

The temporary retaining wall needs to be redesigned before other work can continue.

This delay of work, which is below the road level, is expected to push the completion to the end of July, Putz said.

Putz added that beams for the eventual westbound structure are in the process of being set. Once those are completed, decks for the westbound structures will be poured.

John Scheibal, an engineer with IDOT, added crews have been pouring concrete for columns.

“They’re still working, mostly underneath with the substructure,” Scheibal said.

Crews are working on constructing the eventual bridge that will take westbound traffic over Route 13, which is the second portion of the project.

Work on the eastbound lanes was completed last year.

Scheibal said a wet spring could affect progress.

“It’s moving along now, (but) it kind of depends on weather a bit, too,” Scheibal said.

Work on the estimated $14.4 million project was initially supposed to be completed by 2014, but was delayed as it was redesigned to make sure there was enough clearance over the Illinois Central Railroad. The final cost of the project won’t be determined until work is completed.

Lane restrictions have been in place since 2013, when IDOT began demolishing the eastbound side bridge.

Work began in July 2012 for the staged removal and replacement of the mainline bridges of Illinois 15 over the railroad and Illinois 13 near Belleville.

This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 11:15 AM with the headline "Illinois 15 bridge work on track for summer completion."