Construction work has commenced on the $37 million Morgan Street bridge replacement project in Rockford, Illinois in the US.The replacement bridge project will be made with a steel arch system and will be widened by an extra lane to accommodate four lanes of traffic. Morgan Street approaching the Rock River also will be widened to four lanes, starting at South Main Street to the west and Kishwaukee Street to the east.
The new bridge features 503 feet, which will be significantly shorter than the existing, 798-foot bridge, resulting in lower maintenance costs. Other components include ornamental railing and lighting, along with the construction of the city’s first roundabout intersection, at Morgan and Seminary streets, offering safer access to and from the surrounding neighbourhoods.
A new bike and pedestrian path will provide a critical link across the Rock River to connect to the Rockford area’s network of paths. Construction work on the development is scheduled to be completed by 2014. The project, which includes $9.3 million in state funding, will create 400 construction jobs.