The Bradley Avenue bridge over Interstate 57 in Champaign is scheduled to open at the end of the work day Dec. 12.
The bridge has been closed since March to widen it, including the addition of bike lanes. The project had forced the closure of a stretch of Bradley between Staley and Duncan roads.
“It seemed like the weather held out (for final completion),” said Kensil Garnett, Region 3 engineer for the Illinois Department of Transportation. “The only thing they had to do is temporary striping, and it should be open by the end of today (Dec. 12).”
Though the bridge will re-open the work won’t be entirely complete until next spring, Garnett said. “They’ll come back and put the final pavement markings down, and seeding obviously.”
However, those projects will not involve closing the bridge. “Once it’s open, it’s open. Any closure will just be controlled by flaggers.”
The area received notoriety this fall when a motorist — driving under the influence — drove around conspicuous signage and barricades and ran off the end of the unfinished bridge, nearly careening onto I-57.
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