Veterans Memorial Bridge (Ottawa, Illinois)

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Veterans Memorial Bridge
Coordinates 41°20′32″N88°50′27″W / 41.3422°N 88.84087°W / 41.3422; -88.84087 Coordinates: 41°20′32″N88°50′27″W / 41.3422°N 88.84087°W / 41.3422; -88.84087
Crosses Illinois River
Locale Ottawa, Illinois
Official name Veterans Memorial Bridge
Maintained by Illinois Department of Transportation
ID number 000050018006053
Characteristics
Design Concrete Deck
Total length 1,317 feet
Width 4 lanes, 57 feet
Height 47 feet above water (496 feet above sea level)
History
Opened 1981

The Veterans Memorial Bridge, also known locally as "the Illinois River Bridge", and the "Rte 23 Bridge", is a 4 lane road bridge that crosses the Illinois River in Ottawa, Illinois.

Ottawa, Illinois City in Illinois, United States

Ottawa is a city located at the confluence of the navigable Illinois River and Fox River in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The Illinois River is a conduit for river barges and connects Lake Michigan at Chicago, to the Mississippi River, and North America's 25,000 mile river system. The population estimate was 18,562 as of 2013. It is the county seat of LaSalle County and it is part of the Ottawa-Peru, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Veterans Memorial Bridge in Ottawa Illinois Veteran's Memorial Bridge-Ottawa Illinois 20180916 1117.JPG
Veterans Memorial Bridge in Ottawa Illinois

The bridge is the main and only road route within the city connecting Ottawa's south side to the center of the city, and is a part of Illinois Routes 23 and 71. The bridge connects to State St. on the south end, and to Columbus St. and La Salle St. on the north end, as these are one-way streets in Ottawa's city center.

The bridge sits about 1800 feet to the east and up river from the vertical-lift railroad bridge in Ottawa, and sits at the mouth of the Fox River as it enters the Illinois river.

The bridge was opened in 1981, replacing the old truss bridge that once crossed the river about 300 feet to the west. The key feature of the bridge is that it has a very high and long main span. The high and wide main span is much safer for the navigation of river traffic than the older bridge, which had a narrower central span. The bridge connects high to the bluff the south end, is level for two spans, then connects low to the valley floor in the city center. The bridge spans are 305 feet, 510 feet, and 385 feet.

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