Coombs Road bridge now open

The bridge on Coombs Road in Elgin Township reopened Tuesday after being closed for three months.

Highway Commissioner Rodney A. Seyller said the bridge, which spans the Canadian Pacific Railroad north of Highland Avenue, reopened to traffic as soon as a contractor finished the necessary repairs.

"As we were moving the concrete barriers, there were cars driving through already," he said. "They couldn't wait."

The bridge was closed in late April after it was deemed unsafe due to age-related structural damage. The work beefed up support for the problem section. The design planning for a replacement bridge is expected to start next week, Seyller said.

"It should hold up now until the bridge needs to be replaced," he said. "If you look at it, you wouldn't think anything was done. All the work was done underneath."