This project is located on TR 109 (Old State Road) at its crossing of Shoal Creek, approximately 2 miles north of Breese, Illinois. The new 3-span replacement structure consists of a precast, prestressed concrete deck beam bridge with a hot-mix asphalt wearing surface and waterproofing membrane system. Work involved the removal of the existing 4-span steel beam/precast concrete plank deck bridge supported on concrete pile bent abutments and closed concrete and pile bent piers, which measured approximately 188’-7½” back-to-back of abutments and 16’-1” out-to-out deck for a single-lane bridge.

The new structure features 33″ PPC deck beams spanning 78’-9”, 80’-0”, and 78’-9” center-to-center of bents, with an overall length of 240’-1” back-to-back of abutments and a clear roadway width of 30′-0″ at a 15° left-forward skew. The bridge was designed in accordance with AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, utilizing HL-93 loading, and is located in Seismic Performance Zone 2 with Site Soil Class C. The substructure consists of spill-through pile bent abutments on driven H-piles and pile bent piers with H-piles set in rock.

The project included approximately 1,510 feet of approach roadway work with improved horizontal and vertical alignments to better meet design and operating speeds. The existing low chord elevation was maintained to preserve much of the over-the-road flow area and to keep the bridge length shorter and more affordable for crossing Shoal Creek, which drains a 729 square mile area.

Topographic and wetland surveys, permitting, geometric design, design reports, bridge hydraulics, and preparation of plans, specifications, and estimates were performed by HMG. The awarded bid was $1,395,183.23, with the majority of funding provided by IDOT’s Major Bridge Program under the Federal Surface Transportation Program. Construction was completed in 2018.