Wheaton’s Manchester bridge set to open in June

Residents traveling west of downtown Wheaton soon will have another route to choose from when crews finish work to replace one of state’s worst bridges.

Assistant City Manager Mike Dzugan said the new Manchester-Wesley bridge will be ready for traffic next month, almost two years after the Illinois Department of Transportation received bids on the project.

The bridge spans the railroad tracks on Wesley Street and connects to Manchester Road. Some street improvements remain but most of the work is complete.

“Crews are just now finishing up some components of the road work at Gables and Manchester (just west of the bridge work),” Dzugan said Friday. “It will be open the first week of June.”

Senior project manager Sarang Lagvankar said the work probably will hit the targeted $9.4 million price tag, with the bulk of the tab being picked up by the Illinois Commerce Commission, DuPage County, Union Pacific and IDOT.

When the work first was proposed, estimates placed the cost at $18 million. But bids came in much lower than expected.

“We were fortunate the prices came in as they did,” Lagvankar said. “That’s one of the silver linings of a very dismal type economy.”

The bridge long was in need of replacement. When work began, the structure already was saddled with weight limits restricting access to heavy trucks, including fire engines and ambulances. The bridge was built in 1917.

“What we had was a bridge that, for all intents and purposes, was rated poor,” Lagvankar said.

In addition to the new bridge, a traffic signal was installed at the corner of Manchester Road and Wesley Street.

The remainder of the work revolves around the intersection of Manchester and Gables Boulevard. Landscaping and street paving will be done in the coming weeks. When complete, Lagvankar said residents will notice many benefits, including improved traffic flow, aesthetic improvements and better emergency response times.

“It’s a major milestone, as far as getting it accomplished,” he said. “We are on the tail end of this and appreciate everyone’s patience. It has been one of those challenges for people in town and businesses in that area.”