Lombard will close bridge if Glen Ellyn won't pay

Lombard plans to close the aging Hill Avenue bridge on July 1 if neighboring Glen Ellyn won't pitch in on the cost of rebuilding it.

The bridge over the DuPage River just south of the Union Pacific tracks belongs to Lombard, but traffic patterns indicate it has more value to Glen Ellyn residents.

That's why Lombard is asking its neighbor to split the $600,000 local share of the reconstruction cost - and says it won't foot the bill alone.

"If they don't feel it's important (to have the bridge), we just move on," said David Hulseberg, Lombard village manager.

Glen Ellyn trustees are expected to vote on the matter Monday, June 28 - just four days before the bridge could close.

Lombard set the deadline after more than six months passed without a decision from its neighbor. But Glen Ellyn trustees wanted to get a better handle on "what does this bridge really do for us," said Steve Jones, Glen Ellyn village manager. "Knowing it's an asset of the village of Lombard, there a has to be a compelling reason" to spend Glen Ellyn taxpayers' money on it.

To get an idea of how important the bridge is to Glen Ellyn residents, the village posted an online survey on its website. The results will be available by Thursday.

Approximately 2,000 vehicles per day use the Hill Avenue bridge. During the peak period in the morning, 640 cars travel from Glen Ellyn to Lombard, compared to 300 traveling in the opposite direction. It's the reverse during the evening peak, when 800 cars travel from Lombard to Glen Ellyn compared to 400 going the opposite way. There is no data on where these drivers actually live, however.

Closing the Hill Avenue bridge would not be disruptive for Lombard residents because they have a convenient alternative, Hulseberg said. The Crescent Avenue bridge located just north of the railroad tracks also serves about 2,000 vehicles per day.

"We can live without it (the Hill Avenue bridge)," he said.

Lombard has secured federal funding to cover 80 percent of the $3 million cost of reconstruction. But just in case Glen Ellyn decides not to contribute, the village is also getting prices on how much it will cost to remove the bridge, Hulseberg said.

The deteriorating bridge can no longer safely handle heavier vehicles, including large school buses, commercial trucks and fire engines. Glenbard High School District 87 had to change its bus routes so it could run a smaller bus over the bridge, at an additional cost of $35,000 a year. Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41 also has incurred higher transportation costs because of the bridge's condition.

Glen Ellyn approached both school districts about chipping in for the bridge, Jones said, "and they both said, 'We're not interested.'"