The project includes the construction of a 1.3-mile, six-lane bridge over the Des Plaines River Valley. The structure is a pre-cast, post-tensioned concrete bridge that will rise 90 feet above the ground at its highest point, with three lanes in each direction. The bridge will run from north of Bluff Road to south of New Avenue and will span the I & M Canal, the Sanitary & Ship Canal, several railroad lines, the Des Plaines River, and the Forest Preserve in the central section of the bridge. Work began in March to drill the caisson foundations for the new bridge piers and construction north of Bluff Road. Crews also have begun drilling foundations for bridge piers south of New Avenue. The bridge will feature a total of 34 piers; five piers north of Bluff Road will be 10-20 feet in height, and the 29 piers south of Bluff Road and through the Valley will have an average height of 75 feet.
A low-level bridge was constructed