Folks living near the border of Morgan and Pike Counties probably won’t need an alarm clock tomorrow morning.
The Illinois Department of Transportation has announced today that a planned implosion of the remaining truss spans of the old Illinois 104 bridge over the Illinois River will take place tomorrow, if the weather is permitting. This scheduled bridge demolition comes exactly four weeks after the easternmost span of the bridge was initially dislodged and removed.
To ensure public safety, IDOT is working with local law enforcement authorities to establish and maintain a 1,500-foot perimeter for both pedestrian and river traffic beginning at 6:30 a.m. The public is urged to cooperate to keep the event on schedule.
Illinois 104 will officially be closed at 7:15 a.m. with coordinated stoppage points at two locations: the southernmost point of state highway 99 just west of the bridge, and at Casey’s General Store in Meredosia to the east.
Traffic flow on IL-104 is expected to reopen approximately 30 minutes after the 7:30 a.m. blast following removal of debris. The river channel will be impassable for 24 hours while crews remove the structure from the water.
The new $86 million Illinois 104 bridge opened on June 19th and boasts two 12-foot lanes and two 10-foot shoulders, which according to IDOT improve safety and regional mobility on the bridge.