New I-74 McClugage Bridge over Illinois River at Peoria, IL

(Bridge Hunter broke Mar 23, 2023; Satellite)

I-74 had its suspension bridge over the Mississippi River replaced by an arch bridge. And the eastbound lanes of its cantilever bridge over the Illinois River is being replaced by an arch bridge. (The westbound lanes were built in 1982, and they are not being replaced.)

Information about the choice of the design is in my McClugage Bridge notes.

The new bridge was originally expected to be completed in 2023. [McClugageBridge] But, like the new bridges over the Mississippi River, construction has been delayed.

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Traffic One posted two photos with the comment: "UPDATE 'As pier construction is completed, assembly of a new 650-foot [200m] bridge arch continues just 300 yards south of the bridge site. When complete, the massive arch will be moved onto the newly constructed piers – giving the McClugage a new and iconic look in Peoria.' https://www.mcclugagebridge.com/"

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Webcam, accessed Oct 4, 2023

They are building the arch out in the river rather than on the shoreline. That explains the structure that they are building that is perpendicular to the bridge.

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The new bridge is alsmost twice as wide as the 1958 bridge.

CentralIllinoisProud

On Aug 22, 2023, traffic on I-74 and marine traffic was stopped because a barge crane caught on fire. Nobody was injured.

25newsNow, Photo by Dr. Elsburgh Clarke

The boom collapsed into the river.

wcbu, Fon Du Lac Park District Police Department
I-74 traffic was stopped for about an hour.
"The bridge construction project began in 2019. It was originally set for completion this year [2023], but that deadline was shifted back to the fall 2024, and demolition of the existing eastbound span could potentially go into 2025." [And those delays happened before the fire happened.]

I presume the truck is pumping the water right out of the river. Are fish in the river an issue?

Google search results

I can tell from the photos that it was a ringer crane.

CentralIllinoisProud_fire

Unlike most barge cranes where they simply drive a crawler crane onto a barge, a ringer crane is built on a special barge. Here is a photo of the ringer crane that the USACE used to have that shows how a ring is built on the barge and how the crane rides on that ring. Per a comment, the one that burned was a Manitowoc 4100 with a ringer attachment.

Mike Weaver commented on a post via Dennis DeBruler

Sometimes the Facebook suggestions are appropriate. 

Nov 13, 2023: Peoria Outdoow Adventure posted
Looking forward to seeing this section float into place in about a month. Once completed , there will be a 14 foot pedestrian lane along the bridge with a trail head on each side .

Peoria Outdoow Adventure posted six photos with the comment:

From the IDOT site “The new eastbound McClugage Bridge is entering the home stretch of construction, on track to deliver wider lanes, new shoulders, easier merging and bicycle and pedestrian accommodations for Peoria in 2024.

With the bridge foundation complete, focus has shifted to construction of a new 650-foot arch that is being assembled 300 yards south of bridge site before being floated and lifted onto the newly constructed eastbound bridge piers.

Once the arch is fully assembled, barges will be placed under the temporary towers currently holding the arch as it is put together. The arch will then be raised up slightly and floated into place as a whole unit. A tugboat will get the arch close to its final location. At that point the barges will be attached to the existing eastbound piers. The cables holding the barges will be hooked to winches and those winches will be used to make fine adjustments to the location of the arch. Once the arch is in the exact location it needs to be, it will be lowered onto the piers. All raising and lowering throughout the process will be accomplished using hydraulic jacks.”

Rebecca Jackson: Would be really cool to watch this as it happens. I saw a post that said it would take 48 hours.

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1 of 4 photos posted by Harold Hopkins
McClugage Bridge under construction between Peoria and East Peoria

Peoria Outdoor Adventure posted 17 photos with the comment:

I was driving across the McClugage bridge this afternoon and spotted the Sprit of Peoria paddle boat heading south towards the bridge. There was also a barge heading north towards the bridge. I wanted to try to get a drone shot of the two passing each other right at the bridge-I thought it made for a nice historical comparison between the past and the present river traffic. Same with the bridges. The original McClugage (east bound) bridge is 70+ years old and is getting replaced to the tune of $167 million-or $210M-I’ve seen it posted each way on IDOT’s sites.  The original bridge for this stretch-the Upper Free Bridge, was built for $51K in 1888. It will be completed in 2023. The planning started in 2014. The new bridge will also contain a 14 foot wide pedestrian lane for bikes and walkers. There will be a small parking area and park on each side of the bridge. The bridge to the north is the west bound bridge, which was built in 1983-and doesn’t need to be replaced. If you look in the old black and white photos of the bridge being built (courtesy of www.McClugagebridge.com ), you can also see the original Upper Free Bridge in the distant. It was struck twice-by the same barge-the “Sylvia T”….once in 1943, and again right before its reopening in 1944. Here’s another little known fact…there was a parade from downtown Peoria to the site of the planned bridge back in 1887…which still continues annually today-and is the longest continuous parade in the country-the Santa Clause Parade. The last pier of that Upper Free Bridge is the only thing left standing today, and can be seen on the west side of the river, north of the McClugage bridge. 

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A gallery of photos and videos      I hope they don't take this website down after the bridge is built.

0:39 profile video from a boat passing by    It would have been a good video if he had turned the phone 90 degrees.

East Peoria - City Government posted

From IDOT: The arch section of the new eastbound McClugage Bridge (U.S. 150) over the Illinois River at Peoria will be moved from its assembly area and lowered into place Tuesday, Dec. 19, weather permitting. The process, which involves floating the 652-foot-wide by 130-foot-long high section on barges and using tugboats to move it to the bridge piers, is expected to begin at approximately 7 a.m., depending on wind conditions. 

Once near the piers, cables and winches will be used to position the 7-million-pound arch section. When the arch is in the correct position, water will be pumped into the barges to weigh them down and lower the arch into place. 

During the work, no vessels will be allowed on the river within a 1.5-mile zone set up by the U.S. Coast Guard and enforced by police from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Fon du Lac Park District. The use of drones over the work area is prohibited. 

The entire process of moving the arch into place, lowering it onto the new piers and removing the temporary towers that the arch is supported by will take up to 24 hours.

Three screenshots from a 1:15 video of the arch being moved into place.

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