Marion County Highway Engineer Mike McCormick says there will be another delay in the replacement of the Church Road Bridge east of Route 37 on the south side of Salem. However, he doesn’t expect it to be a long one.
McCormick says since first approving the plans for the bridge replacement, the Illinois Department of Transportation has updated their criteria and they are having to get the plans reapproved. He thinks this will be a fairly quick process. However, it has caused the county to miss the March date to bid the project and he’s now hoping for a May bid letting date. McCormick says that should allow for construction this summer.
The bridge has been closed since it was found to no longer be safe for travel several years ago.
In addition to the planning process, some additional right of way had to be secured from neighboring property owners. The right of way work has now been completed.
