Morris Bridge

Morris Bridge
Coordinates	41°21′14″N 88°25′17″W
Carries	4 lanes of Illinois Route 47
Crosses	Illinois River
Locale	Morris, Illinois
Official name	Morris Bridge
Maintained by	Illinois Department of Transportation
ID number	000032009935856
Characteristics
Design	Steel Girder Concrete Deck
Width	4 traffic lanes, 61 feet (about 19.9 meters)
History
Construction end	November 2002
Opened	November 2002

The Morris Bridge is very new, having been completed in late 2002. The old bridge was a graceful metal monster built from 5 sections of Pennsylvania style through truss spans. The old bridge, built in 1934 and rehabilitated in 1978, was 1,456 feet long, had a 363 foot main span supporting a 350 foot wide navigation channel. It stood 50 feet from the water to low steel. The key figure that lead to its eventual doom was its 22 foot deck width. That was too narrow for modern highway lanes, and two lanes was too few to support a growing region. To meet the needs of the 21st century, a modern steel girder bridge supporting 4 traffic lanes and a 10 foot wide regional trail was built. To meet the needs of river navigation, the bridge was built with a 410-foot main span soaring high over the water. Side spans of 300 feet and 360 feet flank the main span. The new bridge is purely functional with no decorative elements. The piers are large and blocky, designed to withstand the pressures of ice and barge strikes. The lighting consists of standard street lamps, and the guard rails are very typical for newer highway bridges in Illinois. Regardless of how interesting a structure looks, it has to function properly over the long haul. There is no doubt that the IL-47 bridge meets that goal.