Rockford prepares to replace historic bridge to provide safer connection to nearby school
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The city will replace a 105-year-old bridge across the street from Constance Lane Elementary School next year in order to provide a safer connection for schoolchildren and neighborhood residents.
Congressman Eric Sorensen announced on Monday that he secured $1 million in federal funding to help pay for the $2 million replacement of the Eighth Avenue bridge over Keith Creek. As part of the project, the city will also replace water mains and relocate a sanitary sewer structure.
Work on the bridge, which is about a half-block east from the corner of Eighth Avenue and Kishwaukee Street, is expected to begin at the start of construction season in 2025.
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The aging and deteriorating bridge has a 4-ton weight limit, which doesn’t allow for school buses to cross. Crumbling sidewalks over the bridge have also been fenced off because of a sink hole that created a safety hazard.
“To make sure that they’re set up for success, our kids need a safe way to get to and from school,” Sorensen said. “That happens when we make the choice to invest in our roads, our bridges, we fix our potholes, we fix our sidewalks.”
The city already completed preliminary engineering, which will allow it to start the work quickly in 2025, McNamara said. Engineering services cost the city about $1 million.
The bridge was built in 1919 and the state has listed it as a historic bridge because of its distinct pier terminals and the rare double hitching post reinforced concrete railings.
The state is reviewing the city’s proposal to replace the bridge to meet today’s standards while preserving the look of the existing railings, McNamara said.
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The construction project also removes a home from a flood plain and provides relocation for the resident, and it replaces a more than 100-year-old water main.
Sorensen said securing the funding was the culmination of a year’s worth of work to move the request through the House Committee on Appropriations and get approved by Congress. He’s now working on funding requests for the coming year.
Right now, the bridge forces school buses to take an alternative route. It forces trucks that are delivering goods to take an alternative route, and it is unsafe for school children to walk across due to the lack of sidewalks, McNamara said.
Superintendent Ehren Jarrett said the replacement will improve the neighborhood that serves Constance Lane Elementary School.
“No matter where a school is located, we want to have a high-quality option for families, and Constance Lane is well on its way in that journey,” Jarrett said. “This is going to be an incredible addition to an improving school and an even stronger neighborhood.”
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
