PEORIA, Ill. — After months of finding detour routes around the closed I-74 bridge, the Murray Baker will reopen Saturday night.
The bridge has been closed since March 29 and will hit the original goal of reopening on Halloween night.
Acting Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman said they saved at least two “construction seasons” by completely shutting the bridge down, rather than trying to close one lane at a time.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker was also in Peoria on Monday to discuss the reopening of the bridge, which is part of the Rebuild Illinois project.
Pritzker said Rebuild Illinois is “the largest infrastructure investment in our state’s history.”
“I’m proud to say that not only was this project completed on time, but also on budget,” said Pritzker of the bridge.
“This is an important symbol of the rejuvenation of the state of Illinois and also of the quality of work that gets done by Illinois’ best union tradespeople.”
Pritzker acknowledged that this year has been hard for Illinoisans, but projects like the bridge are able to create jobs across the state.
“Even in a pandemic, especially in a pandemic, we must invest in our state’s future,” said Pritzker.
“Building the nation’s most modern transportation systems means we’re not just creating good paying jobs… but also inspiring businesses that rely on our great infrastructure to invest their long-term capital here in the Peoria region.”
Pritzker said the bridge carries about 67,000 vehicles per day.
The Illinois Department of Transportation told WMBD News the Murray Baker Bridge will be open sometime Saturday night, although an exact time has not been given.
