PEORIA MAGAZINE October 2022

C O V E R S T O R Y

THIS SEPTUAGENARIAN IS GETTING NEW BONES Replacement for 72-year-old McClugage Bridge’s eastbound span is taking shape

BY PHIL LUCIANO PHOTOS BY RON JOHNSON AND TODD PILON

I npushing aheadwith themammoth McClugage Bridge project, the contractor had to keep his cool. With concrete, that is. The heat of concrete, more than 75,000 cubic yards of it in total, has been one of just a handful of challenges in the $167 million effort to replace the McClugage’s current eastbound span. Nonetheless, now in its third year, “the project is progressing well,” said

Paul Wappel, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Transportation, which is overseeing the project. By shortly after Labor Day, 17 of the 27 piers and abutments were complete. The only delay involved 36 days lost because of flooding in 2020, Wappel said. The new lanes should open for traffic in late fall, 2023, with the entire project – including demolition of the current eastbound bridge – wrapping up in December 2024.

34 OCTOBER 2022 PEORIA MAGAZINE