Libertyville advances final design services to replace Rockland Road bridge over Des Plaines River
Bridge replacement tentatively set to begin in summer 2026 but faces $2 million shortfall
A long-sought but delayed plan to replace the Rockland Road bridge over the Des Plaines River in Libertyville is inching ahead.
Village officials this week approved measures involving engineering and design for the project now tentatively set for summer 2026, but the project is facing a $2 million shortfall.
Preliminary design approval from the Illinois Department of Transportation marks the end of the first phase of the project which entails a full bridge replacement to include new superstructure, piers and abutments.
One of the approvals was $74,471 to Civiltech Engineering Inc., for extra design services resulting from having to raise the bridge from the previously contemplated 14 inches to 36 inches for increased flood protection, explained Paul Kendzior, public works director.
The second measure was a $556,014 contract with Civiltech for final engineering design of the Rockland bridge Reconstruction, known as Phase 2. Federal funding will cover 80% of that cost or $445,100.
The Rockland Road bridge is owned and maintained equally by the village and the Libertyville Township Road District. The parties have an agreement designating the village as the lead local agency and saying both parties will equally share the associated project costs.
As such, the 20% local share of the final engineering cost or $110,914 will be split equally. Village officials also appropriated $621,000 of additional motor fuel tax funds for the initial and final design services to prepare the project for construction.
The bridge had been known for a distinctive, 150-foot-long steel truss system over the two-lane road installed in 1962 as a nonstructural aesthetic element. It was closed for safety reasons in early 2018 because of deterioration of the truss, which was removed.
Federal funding will cover 80% of the cost of a new bridge but not for a replacement truss. The village in late 2020 approved a hybrid design with aesthetic elements but IDOT approval took longer than expected. At the time, the estimated construction date was 2023 or 2024 depending on the availability of funding and project readiness.
Kendzior said design and construction costs have increased due to inflation, connections to the nearby Des Plaines River Trail and raising the structure, which requires more retaining walls, compensatory water storage and roadway approach revisions.
Construction now is anticipated in summer 2026 provided IDOT allocates the roughly $2 million shortfall, he added.