Bridge Replacement To Close Bradley Ave. At I-57 For 8 Months
A sign warns of a narrow bridge on the westbound approach to the Bradley Avenue bridge over I-57 in Champaign. Construction on a new bridge is scheduled to start Wednesday, March 20. JIm Meadows/Illinois Public Media
Bradley Avenue will be closed at I-57 at the western end of Champaign starting Wednesday, March 20, for a bridge replacement project that's expected to take eight months to complete. Traffic will be rerouted.
The Illinois Department of Transportation is replacing the Bradley Avenue bridge over I-57. The bridge was built a half-century ago, when the area was largely rural. Today, Bradley Avenue is an arterial street running from Lincoln Avenue in Urbana to Staley Road on the west end of Champaign. It has four lanes for much of the way. But it slims down to two lanes west of Parkland College, and slims down even more on the bridge crossing I-57. Signs warn that the bridge is narrow, and that motorists and other traffic must share the road.
When it’s completed, the new Bradley Avenue bridge will be wider than the old one, with bike lanes and sidewalks that the old bridge lacks. During construction, Bradley Avenue will be closed at the bridge. In addition, I-57 will be closed sporadically at Bradley, although only at night. The closure is expected to last until the end of November. Residents of the Sawgrass and Boulder Ridge subdivisions, which are located off Bradley just west of I-57, are likely to be most affected.
During construction, Bradley Avenue traffic will be detoured to Springfield Avenue, by way of Duncan and Staley Roads.