Dangerous Wheaton bridge will finally get fixed
Two years of longer lines at railroad crossings and $9 million will be the price Wheaton residents pay for the reconstruction of one of the most perilous bridges in Illinois.
Repairing the Manchester Road bridge has been on the Wheaton's to-do list for years. City officials now say the reconstruction will begin later this year.
The safety concerns of the bridge gained more attention after the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis last August.
After that tragedy, Wheaton Mayor Mike Gresk sent a letter of concern about the Manchester bridge to Gov. Rod Blagojevich's office in hope of getting some priority funding. Gresk said he received no reply.
Conditions on the bridge became hazardous enough for the city to close it to pedestrian traffic and install a guard rail for fear that someone could get hurt by crumbling concrete. A 50-foot section of the retaining wall collapsed in mid-December, requiring a $43,200 patch.
That patch will be money down the drain when the whole bridge is rebuilt at a cost of $18 million.
State and Union Pacific Railroad money will fund about half the project if the city ever actually sees those promised funds.
"That is a concern," City Manager Don Rose said.
Wheaton taxpayers will be on the hook for the rest of the project. Rose expects that will mean borrowing a little more than $9 million through bonds.
The city already borrowed more than $1 million for the bridge project in 2003. But the construction stalled so long that the city council voted to spend the bridge money to help build a new annex next to city hall.
Councilmen Howard Levine and Phil Suess voted against diverting the funds to the annex at the time. Former Councilman Alan Bolds also opposed the project.
The annex now houses the city's cable TV and technology staff.
The city hopes to begin construction on the Manchester bridge later this year if all the money and land is attained.
Construction will take up to two years to complete, making 2010 the year commuters will be freed from waiting at the many Wheaton intersections where trains pass throughout the day.
Once complete, the bridge will have several improvements.
For one, it will be strong enough for the city's fire trucks to use, cutting response times.
The retaining walls, including the portion recently repaired, will be replaced. That means pedestrians can once again cross the bridge without fear.
The bridge also will get new lighting, fencing and a traffic signal that will allow left turns onto Bridge Street for the first time.
The traffic detour route during the construction will most likely run along the West Street railroad crossing.