PEORIA MAGAZINE October 2022

P E O R I A R E T R O

RICKETY, RISKY BRIDGES Once upon a time, crossing a bridge in Peoria was a real gamble

On May 1, 1909, piers broke under the Lower Free Bridge (also known as the Franklin Street Bridge), causing much of the span to tumble into the Illinois River. Photo courtesy of the Special Collections Center, Bradley University Library

BY PHIL LUCIANO

P eoria is known for its good fortune in having a multitude of sturdy bridges. But there was a long stretch of misfortune regarding spans over the Illinois River. Time and time again, bridges ended up in the water below. FRANKLIN STREET BRIDGE 1848: A private toll bridge opens at Franklin Street. The next year, an ice jam and high water carried the bridge away. 1850: During repairs to the Franklin Street Bridge, a herd of cattle was driven across the bridge but proved too weighty. The bridge supports tilted, with the entire herd sliding into the river. Miraculously, only one animal drowned. 1852: With bridge repairs complete, a steamboat smacked the span. 1886: For $50,000, the toll bridge is sold to the city of Peoria, which eliminated the toll and renamed the space Lower Free Bridge. 1903: Heavy flooding again destroys the bridge. 1909: A $200,000 steel-and concrete

replacement debuts to much fanfare. But, beset by an inadequate support structure, the span fell, once again, into the waterway. 1911: In April, the city opened a re placement. However, a month later, the eastern portion collapsed. During repairs, to avoid the debris in the river, construction workers built a 30-de gree dogleg – a distinctive feature on what would again become known as the Franklin Street Bridge. 1992: The bridge came tumbling down again, but on purpose this time. Its dismantling gave way to the $60 million Bob Michel Bridge, which opened in 1993. UPPER FREE BRIDGE 1882: Alex Partridge borrows money to build a pontoon bridge for vehicles in order to compete with Frye’s Ferry, just north of today’s McClugage Bridge. According to the Daily Record, “First the ice carried away a pontoon. Then someone bored holes in the floats, and they filled with water and sank. The steamboat captains disliked the span because it slowed them down in the swift water where they needed all their

speed. Whenever they could ram the pontoons, without damaging their boats, they did.”

What remains today of the Upper Free Bridge

Finally, fire – Partridge blamed com petitors – nearly destroyed the bridge. 1884: Over the next decade, high water periodically carried chunks of the bridge downriver. As late as 1922, a harsh storm tore away 200 feet of wooden trestle on the Upper Free Bridge. Phil Luciano is a senior writer/ columnist for Peoria Magazine and content contributor to public television station WTVP. His sources for this story included the Bradley University Library, 50Plus News and Views, the Journal Star, and the Daily Record

OCTOBER 2022 PEORIA MAGAZINE 63