By Gianna Njau
PEKIN, Ill. (25 News) – A half-million dollars in federal funding will help replace the Furrow Road Bridge in Tazewell County, part of a $19 million investment to improve infrastructure in the area.
The bridge serves a heavily used farming route along a two-mile stretch of road ending at Towerline Road in South Pekin.
U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Dunlap) says county officials determined the bridge work as a priority a couple of years ago.
“We went to work on putting together the application and obviously getting it across the finish line in Washington, D.C., voting for that and advocating for it,” LaHood tells 25 News.
Safety concerns drive replacement
The new bridge will be roughly 136 feet long, replacing the old structure built in 1961. Right now, drivers are forced to navigate sharp turns.
Tazewell County Engineer Daniel Parr says the current alignment is unsafe.
“We can eliminate these accidents by bringing the alignment into today’s standards,” Parr says.
The new bridge will be 30 feet wide, about 10 feet wider than the current structure.
“There is a better chance that the newer, wider equipment can get across, as well as having two smaller vehicles passing each other, you know, not run the risk of colliding,” Parr says.
LaHood says the bridge will better handle larger farm equipment and improve safety for farmers.
“This will allow for the safe passage of our farmers,” LaHood says.
He says the project has economic benefits for farmers and reduces their stress.
“When a farmer wants to bring his product across this bridge or wants to drive the combine around there, you’re going to have the safest bridge possible,” LaHood says.
Construction on the Furrow Road Bridge is expected to start this fall, and finish sometime next year.
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