Marion County Highway Department Engineer Mike McCormick is making a plea to truckers to stay off the Route 161 Extension Bridge over Skillet Fork.
An emergency ten-ton weight limit was placed on the bridge last Friday when additional structural problems were found during paving repairs. If the heavy truck traffic continues, McCormick warns the bridge will have to be shut down to all traffic due to damage the heavy loads are causing. If that happens, it would be up to four years before the process of obtaining and building a new bridge through the Illinois Department of Transportation project could be completed.
McCormick says the flooring stringers that attach to the pavement have failed, leaving only the four-inch concrete base and asphalt pavement to keep traffic out of Skillet Fork Creek below. He notes that is fine for car and pickup truck traffic, but not the heavier trucks.
Illinois State Police are planning an enforcement detail for trucks violating the ten-ton weight limit which could result in some expensive tickets. McCormick would rather have the community work together on the problem.
The Route 161 Extension is currently down to one lane traffic for the pavement repair project.
