Glen Ellyn will help pay to fix Lombard's bridge

Glen Ellyn is willing to pitch in to help pay for the cost of rebuilding the Hill Avenue bridge, which Lombard officials had threatened to close on Thursday rather than bear the repair costs alone.

At a village board workshop this week, Glen Ellyn trustees directed village staff to authorize spending up to $300,000 - half the estimated local share of the reconstruction - as long as several conditions are met.

Glen Ellyn wants to take a second look at the cost estimate and engineering scope for replacing the aging bridge, which crosses the DuPage River just south of the Union Pacific tracks.

"We want to see the numbers," Steve Jones, Glen Ellyn village manager, said. "Is the $3 million estimate of (the total cost) correct? Is there another way of doing it?"

The village also wants to be sure Lombard will not impose restrictions on truck traffic east of the bridge after it's fixed. And Glen Ellyn has its eye on four properties west of the bridge that Lombard recently de-annexed, as well as the sanitary sewer lift station that serves the area. "We would like Lombard to basically give us that lift station," not sell it, Jones said.

Lombard Village Manager David Hulseberg praised the "spirit of cooperation that exists between the communities" and said he is optimistic the details can be worked out. He invited Glen Ellyn to be on the selection team to choose a consultant for the project.

Lombard is counting on getting state and federal funds to cover 80 percent of the cost of rebuilding the deteriorating bridge, which can no longer safely handle heavy vehicles, including large school buses, commercial trucks and fire engines. Construction could begin in as soon as 18 months if all the funding falls into place.

In the meantime, the bridge is expected to stay open as long as it's safe, Hulseberg said.

"I think it will hold up for passenger vehicles right now," Hulseberg said. "Our whole issue is we are trying to stay ahead of the curve and not be in a position where it (has to be) closed."

Although the bridge is in Lombard, traffic patterns indicate it has more value to Glen Ellyn residents. That left Glen Ellyn officials wrestling with the question "is it warranted for Glen Ellyn to pay for the infrastructure of another community?" Jones said. "It was a real interesting civic debate very much based on philosophical issues."

Of the 196 residents who responded to an online survey on Glen Ellyn's website, 40 percent said they use the bridge every day or every week. But 63 percent said Glen Ellyn shouldn't chip in to fix it.

Comments ranged from "No way! It is their bridge!!!" to "Good neighbors help one another and share expenses when it affects both of them at the same time." The survey is a "snapshot" and not scientifically valid, but the residents' comments pro and con provided valuable information for village officials, Jones said.