DuPage to help Wheaton rebuild bridge

Wheaton leaders say they are hopeful that this is the year the city can start rebuilding one of the most dilapidated bridges in Illinois.

For years, replacing the aging Manchester Road bridge over the railroad tracks in Wheaton has been on the city's to-do list. Officials now say that finalizing funding and acquiring a handful of easements are the only obstacles that remain.

As part of an intergovernmental agreement that city council members approved on Monday night, DuPage County would contribute roughly $950,000 to the project's overall $18 million price tag.

"I think we should be under construction definitely in 2009," said Paul Redman, the city's director of engineering. "Hopefully, in late spring we should be starting construction."

Meanwhile, the city is expected to learn this week whether it will receive nearly $10 million in grant money from the Illinois Commerce Commission, which regulates utilities and railroad bridges.

"It's kind of like a domino effect," Redman said. "Once we get that (ICC grant) approved, we can finalize an agreement with IDOT, and that will pretty much wrap up the funding."

How much money the city will have to contribute to the project depends upon on the number of grant dollars it receives from IDOT.

Still, Wheaton's share should be far less than originally anticipated. At one point, it was estimated that the city would have to borrow $9 million through bonds.

Construction of the new bridge would take up to two years to complete. Once finished, the new bridge will be higher and wider than the existing structure, which was placed at that location in 1917.

One significant improvement is that the new bridge would be strong enough for fire trucks and school buses to use. The existing bridge has a 5-ton weight capacity, so the fire department avoids it.

In fact, Wheaton officials have long had safety concerns about the bridge - concerns that gained more attention after the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis in August 2007.

"It's just that it's old and in need of replacement," Redman said. "It's substandard on so many different levels. Structurally, it's substandard. That's why we have a weight restriction on it."

In addition to replacing the Manchester Road bridge, the overall project includes increasing the height of the nearby Illinois Prairie Path structure that goes over Wesley and Front streets. That pedestrian bridge also would be widened.