Historic Long Grove covered bridge remains closed for repairs after crash

Long Grove's historic covered bridge remains closed this week as village officials work to get repairs done quickly after the century-old structure was damaged last week when struck by an SUV.

Village Manager David Lothspeich said engineers deemed the bridge structure itself safe in the wake of the Nov. 10 collision, but the roof portion of the bridge needs repair or replacement.

"Our goal is to have the bridge back open before Thanksgiving," Lothspeich said Wednesday. "If it can be permanently repaired by then, we'll do that. If not, we'll make temporary repairs so that it can be open for the holiday season."

Although drivers who would normally use the bridge must now take a detour around it, Lothspeich said all businesses downtown are open and accessible.

"It's certainly an inconvenience, but it's not unusual for the bridge to be closed for short periods of time during our festivals," he added.

It's not yet clear how much the repairs will cost, but the village will try to recover its costs through the insurance of the driver who struck the bridge, Lothspeich said.

Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Christopher Covelli said the crash occurred about 9:31 a.m. Nov. 10 when a 2012 Toyota Highlander driving westbound on Robert Parker Coffin Road hit the side of the bridge, causing the SUV to roll over on its side inside the covered structure.

Paramedics were called to the scene, but the SUV's driver, Anne F. Reaven, 35, of Kildeer, was not taken to the hospital, Covelli said. She was ticketed for failing to reduce speed to avoid a crash.