Mile-Long Bridge

Mile-Long Bridge
The Mile-Long bridge crossing the Des Plaines River
Coordinates	41.7504°N 87.8652°W / 41.7504; -87.8652
Carries	8 lanes of I-294 Toll
Crosses	Des Plaines River Ship and Sanitary Canal BNSF Chillicothe Subdivision CN Joliet Subdivision Chicago Intermodal Facility
Locale	Willow Springs, IL
Maintained by	Illinois State Toll Highway Authority
ID number	000016095903931
Characteristics
Design	Steel girder
Total length	4,608 ft (1,404.5 m)
Width	42 ft (12.8 m)
History
Opened	1958
Rebuilt	2022
Statistics
Daily traffic	150,000
Location

The Mile-Long Bridge is the colloquial name for a 4,608-foot-long (1,404.5 m) bridge in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. The bridge carries Interstate 294 (I-294) over the Des Plaines River, the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal, two major railroad lines, and an intermodal facility. A series of 51 piers carries I-294 over the broad Des Plaines River valley.

In spite of its name, the bridge falls 672 feet (205 m) short of one full mile in length.

History

Reconstruction (2019–2023)

As part of the Central Tri-State Tollway Project, construction of a new Mile-Long Bridge structure, together with demolition of the original 1958 structure, proceeded in phases commencing in 2019. In the first completed phase of the project, a new northbound bridge structure opened to traffic in November 2020. Demolition of the old northbound structure commenced in 2021, followed by the construction of a new southbound structure. The completed southbound structure opened to traffic in October 2022. Removal of the old southbound structure is expected to be complete in 2023.