Fox River Bridge

A key part of the Illinois Tollway’s Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) Rebuild and Widen project, the Fox River Bridge presented challenges ranging from relocating and reconstructing local roads and working around active railroad track to dealing with three major flood events and a unusual design. The bridge, completed in two phases, is over 1,300 feet long and features a 10-span arch construction. A total of 40 arches, each weighing 92 tons, were cast off site at a temporary yard and then trucked five miles on 13-axle trucks to be put in place. Since arch bridges are unstable until the spans meet, McHugh monitored and measured each arch continuously during installation to ensure the bridge’s integrity.

During construction, McHugh had to contend with weather challenges that included fighting a 500-year flood event with currents strong enough to wash away multi-ton crane mats, and two, 100-year floods which also caused dangerous currents. Despite these conditions, McHugh still completed the bridge six months ahead of schedule and within budget.