Ed Hand Highway Bridge over Vermilion River

Hutchison Engineering, Inc (HEI) was selected by the LaSalle County Highway Department to provide preliminary engineering services for the replacement of the bridge carrying CH 23 (Ed Hand Highway) over the Vermilion River near Oglesby, IL. Ed Hand Highway is a vital link from the City of Oglesby to Matthiessen State Park, Starved Rock State Park and the Village of Utica. It is a heavily forested area in the scenic Vermilion River valley. The river is a popular fishing and canoeing destination. The old bridge was a 356 feet long, three span continuous steel deck truss. It was determined to be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Due the historic nature of the bridge the HEI team prepared documentation for historic bridge coordination, which resulted Section 4(f) approval from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The new bridge was designed to closely follow the existing horizontal alignment and vertical profile to minimize impacts to the surrounding environment. The new bridge is a three span steel plate girder superstructure on concrete spill thru pile bent abutments and drilled shaft piers. The bridge is 394 feet long and 34 feet wide including five foot shoulders to provide bicycle accommodations. Construction of this $3.2 million bridge replacement project began in the Spring of 2016 and was completed in May of 2017.

Bridge Projects