The Illinois Department of Transportation engineers have narrowed down 4 locations for the new spot of the Joe Page Bridge.
IDOT held an open house last week at Calhoun High School in Hardin outlining the potential locations for the new bridge.
According to diagrams, one desirable location is several miles downriver past Mortland Island. The bridge would move away from a Greene County to Calhoun alignment and instead be a Jersey to Calhoun alignment and run parallel to Glades Access Road. This option would still provide access into and out of Calhoun County during a 100-year flood.
A similar alignment is also offered further upriver to the north, remaining in Greene County, running north of Sandridge Road.
Two other options would be closer to the present-day bridge but a 100-year flood access would remain to be studied by IDOT if they were pursued.
The project, which began in 2022, is still in Phase 1, which according to IDOT is anticipated to take three to four years.
$225 million has been identified in the current five-year plan for construction of the bridge. The new bridge will not be a lift bridge like the existing structure. The existing bridge is over 90 years old and is reaching the end of its service life. The last major repairs to the current bridge happened two years ago and cost over $16 million.
The next public meeting is anticipated within the next year and will take a more detailed look at engineering considerations. For now, residents can offer comments at joepagebridge.com.