Abraham Lincoln Memorial Bridge

The Abraham Lincoln Memorial Bridge can also refer to the Blair Bridge in Iowa and Nebraska. There is also a Lincoln Memorial Bridge in Vincennes, Indiana.

Bridge in Illinois and Oglesby, Illinois

41°19′29″N 89°04′37″W / 41.3247°N 89.0769°W / 41.3247; -89.0769CarriesFour lanes of

I-39 / US 51CrossesIllinois River, IL 351, Illinois and Michigan Canal, Iowa Interstate Railroad, and Buzzi Unicem industrial rail lead (the former Illinois Central Railroad mainline).LocaleLaSalle, Illinois and Oglesby, IllinoisOfficial nameAbraham Lincoln Memorial BridgeMaintained byIllinois Department of Transportation ID number000050019120847CharacteristicsDesignThrough archTotal length2,170.8 metres (7,122.0 ft)^[1]Width4 traffic lanes, 82 ft (25 m)^[2]Longest span619.9 feet (189 m)^[2]Clearance above19.3 feet (5.88 m)^[2]HistoryOpened1987Location Map

Abraham Lincoln Memorial Bridge in Illinois is a four-lane bidirectional road bridge that spans the Illinois River, Illinois Route 351, Illinois and Michigan Canal, and local roads and railroads. It carries Interstate 39 (I-39), a major north-south Interstate through central Illinois, and its U.S. Route counterpart, U.S. Route 51 (US 51).

Description

The bridge crosses the river between LaSalle and Oglesby, at river mile 225.8.^[3] The structure comprises a main span over the river, flanked by 43 approach spans. It is named after Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States. The main span is a through-arch design, 620 feet (189.0 m) long. The clearance of this span over the river, from low steel of the bridge to normal water level in the pool below, is 66.0 feet (20.1 m).^[3] With the approach spans, the total length of the structure is 7,120.8 feet (2,170.4 m). Its length makes it the longest bridge in Illinois.^[4]

History

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The bridge was built in 1987 when I-39 was first extended south to what is now Illinois Route 251. The highway itself has since been extended all the way to the Bloomington–Normal. In 2007, the bridge was rehabilitated due to the poor performance of the existing precast deck panels and the frequent surfacing of potholes.^[5] On October 31, 2008 the rehabilitation project was completed 15 days ahead of the contract requirement.^[6]

References

^ Svirsky, Alexander. "Nationalbridges.com". Retrieved 2007-10-22.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ ^a ^b ^c Baughn, James; et al. (2005). "Historic Bridges of the Midwest". Retrieved 2006-01-18.
^ ^a ^b Map no. 89 Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, Illinois Waterway Mile 225.1 to 228, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (1998).
^ Mall, Scott (2022-02-23). "FreightWaves Classics/Infrastructure: I-39 serves rural Illinois and Wisconsin". FreightWaves. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
^ "Abraham Lincoln Memorial Bridge". Benesch. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
^ "IL: I-39 Abraham Lincoln Bridge Rehabilitation Project". America's Transportation Awards. 2013-02-07. Retrieved 2024-05-01.