PEORIA, Ill. – You might say Tuesday was the day workers on the McClugage Bridge were waiting for, with the installation of the new arch for the new eastbound lanes.
At least, that’s how John Love, the Illinois Department of Transportation resident engineer feels about it.
“I kind of feel like we’re over the hump, and you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it hasn’t felt like that, really, before,” said Love. “There’s just always so much to do. But I just feel like it is a big milestone for the project.”
Love says after much earlier delays, the arch installation Tuesday keeps the project on schedule for a late-summer or early fall opening next year.
A new bike and walking path is part of the plans for the new eastbound span.
Will the westbound span get its own new arch, too? Love says no, and for good reason.
“The eastbound that we are replacing – the eastbound 150 structure – was built back in the 40’s. The westbound was built back in the 80’s. So, the westbound still has a lot of service life left,” said Love.
Tuesday’s work putting the new arch in place went about as smoothly as it could have, according to Love.
“It has been very nerve-racking for everybody out here,” said Love. “I can say that the contractor – and the contractor’s engineering team – has definitely done their due diligence. They’ve checked and rechecked, and it went pretty seamless – the actual float-in part.”
