Deterioration closes Wabash River span's pedestrian approach

VINCENNES, Ind. (AP) - Officials at a national historical park in southwestern Indiana say a pedestrian approach to a bridge linking Indiana and Illinois will remain closed until costly repairs can be made.

The Lincoln Memorial Bridge carries traffic between Lawrence County, Illinois, and Vincennes, Indiana, where the Wabash River span is part of the George Rogers Clark National Historical Park.

Park Superintendent Frank Doughman says the pedestrian approach on the bridge's north side in Vincennes is closed because of deterioration to a decades-old adhesive that binds numerous 500-pound (226-kilogram) granite panels to the approach's facade.

Doughman tells the Vincennes Sun-Commercial that needed repairs could cost up to $8 million. The approach in the city about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Evansville will remain closed until the National Parks Service funds that project.

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Information from: Vincennes Sun-Commercial, http://www.vincennes.com