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Overview and Scope
The Illinois Department of Transportation is performing a Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Study to analyze the replacement of the bridge carrying Illinois 4/15 over the Kaskaskia River (SN 082-0077) near Fayetteville in St. Clair County.
The bridge was constructed in 1946 and rehabilitated in 2013. The Annual Average Daily Traffic is 4,400. The Illinois Department of Transportation has determined this structure needs to be replaced due to the rising and continual cost of maintenance since the bridge is nearing the end of its design life.
Background
This bridge provides one of the few links across the Kaskaskia River in the region, serving the trucking and agricultural industries, in addition to commuters of neighboring towns to their destinations. Without this vital link across the Kaskaskia River, the shortest alternative route would add approximately 30 miles to a trip.
Illinois 4 and 15 are two separate arterial roads that merge through Fayetteville before dividing again outside the village limits. This corridor is important for motorists in the area as it provides a means for travelers to get to north and south destinations such as Scott Air Force Base, MidAmerica Airport, the World Shooting Complex in Sparta, interstates 64 and 55, southern Illinois communities and to the St. Louis metro region to the west.
The Kaskaskia River is a navigable waterway from the Mississippi River to just south of Fayetteville, providing a route for the transportation of coal and grain by barge. Only recreational watercraft are allowed north of Fayetteville through the section of the river in the study area.
