Shippingsport Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Shippingsport Bridge |
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The 2003 Shippingsport Bridge from the west
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| Coordinates | 41°18′52″N 89°05′30″W / 41.314368°N 89.091641°W |
| Carries | Two lanes of  IL 351 |
| Crosses | Illinois River |
| Locale | LaSalle, Illinois and Oglesby, Illinois |
| Official name | Harvey J. Shippingsport Bridge |
| Maintained by | Illinois Department of Transportation |
| ID number | 000050023736203 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Steel girder concrete deck |
| Total length | 1,775 feet (541 m) |
| Width | 2 traffic lanes, 39 feet (12 m) |
| History | |
| Construction end | 1929 (restoration completed October 29, 2003) |
| Opened | 1929 (reopened October 30, 2003) |
The Shippingsport Bridge is an important bridge that crosses the Illinois River in LaSalle, Illinois. It helps people and cars travel between LaSalle and Oglesby, Illinois. What's interesting is that there have actually been three different bridges with the name Shippingsport Bridge in almost the same spot! The first one was built in 1872, the second in 1929, and the third, which is still used today, was finished in 2003.
Contents
A Bridge with a Story: Its History
The Shippingsport Bridge has always been a key crossing point. For a long time, it was part of U.S. Route 51 (US 51). This was a very important road that stretched all the way from Wisconsin down to New Orleans.
How Roads Changed Around the Bridge
Over the years, new roads were built to help traffic flow better.
- In 1958, a new road called a bypass was built around the towns of Peru and LaSalle. This new bypass became US 51. The Shippingsport Bridge then became part of a local road called US 51 Business.
- Later, in 1987, a major highway called Interstate 39 (I-39) was extended to this area. I-39 has its own large bridge, the 1.5-mile-long (2.4 km) Abraham Lincoln Memorial Bridge, which is just east of Shippingsport.
- When I-39 was completed, the old US 51 bypass was renamed Illinois Route 251 (IL 251). The road that used the Shippingsport Bridge, which was US 51 Business, was then renamed Illinois Route 351 (IL 351). So, today, the Shippingsport Bridge carries IL 351.
Who Was Shippingsport?
The bridge is named after two things:
- A hero from the American Civil War named Harvey J. Shippingsport.
- A town that didn't last, also called Shippingsport, Illinois. This town was located near where Oglesby is today. Harvey J. Shippingsport became wealthy by providing bait to the many people who used to fish in the Illinois River.
The First Shippingsport Bridge (1872)
The very first bridge at this location was built in 1872. It was a swing span bridge. This type of bridge has a section that can swing open to let boats pass through on the river.
The Second Shippingsport Bridge (1929)
The second Shippingsport Bridge opened on November 7, 1929. It was a very long bridge, about 1,679-foot-long (512 m). It was a truss bridge with a special lift span in the middle. This lift span could be raised straight up to allow tall boats to pass underneath. Building this bridge cost $500,000, which was a lot of money back then!
The Third Shippingsport Bridge (2003)
The current Shippingsport Bridge is the third one. It was built because the old 1929 bridge needed to be replaced.
Building the New Bridge
Because of rules about how boats navigate the river, the new bridge had to be built in the exact same spot as the old one. This meant the old bridge had to be taken down completely before the new one could be built.
- The river crossing was closed for two years, from late 2001 to October 29, 2003.
- Even though it was a long closure, the new bridge was built much faster than expected, saving a whole year of construction time!
- The third bridge cost $16,000,000 to build.
Modern Design and Materials
The new Shippingsport Bridge uses a special type of high-performance steel. This modern steel is very strong, which allowed the engineers to use thinner support beams, called girders. These thinner girders could stretch across longer distances. This meant fewer support columns, or piers, were needed in the river. The result is a bridge that looks light and elegant. The company responsible for building this new bridge was Edward Kreamer & Sons.
