Construction of a newly configured bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks just west of downtown Wheaton has been pushed back to 2005, city officials said.
The original two-lane bridge over the tracks, which linked Manchester Road on the south side of the tracks with Wesley Street on the north side, was opened in 1917 and removed in June 1998 after railroad workers discovered weak support beams. The railroad in late 1998 installed a temporary bridge so drivers could cross the tracks when slow-moving freight trains were passing through town.
City officials pledged, however, to replace the bridge with a new one estimated to cost $10.8 million. The work would involve closing the crossing for another year while construction takes place.
In 1998, city officials estimated the work could begin in 2001, and they later estimated it might start in 2003. Now, the project is being delayed by the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration, both of which need to give the green light to the city’s design for the bridge before formal design engineering can begin, said City Engineer Paul Redman.
“We’ve probably been waiting a year to get that sign-off,” Redman said.
The bidding process for the bridge’s construction would begin after the completion of design engineering, which will take about 18 months, Redman said. The city will spend about $3 million for the bridge construction, with an additional $1.3 million coming from IDOT’s bridge replacement program and the rest coming from federal funds, Redman said.
