PEORIA, Ill. — Many are working from home during the coronavirus crisis, but for the Illinois Department of Transportation, scheduled work on the Murray Baker Bridge will go on as planned.
The $42.2 million project will still begin at 12:01 A.M. Sunday with a target reopen date of Nov. 1.
That said, the world’s pandemic situation isn’t lost on IDOT, said Public Information Officer Paul Wappel.
Wappel said for a major project like this, most of the construction workers are contractors, and not IDOT employees.
“We encourage them to avoid sharing tools, utilize disposable hand towels, wash their hands, and keep their six-foot distance,” he said.
“And because the vast majority of our work is outside, that’s a plus, too, given the situation we’re in today.”
In a time when so many are looking for silver linings with the current climate, Wappel offered this: the bottlenecks that would have occurred in normal times won’t be as severe with so many staying at home.
Wappel said IDOT will first close on-ramps before the bridge, itself, is closed.
