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John T. McNaughton Bridge | |
|---|---|
 View from Pekin Pier | |
| Coordinates | 40°34′35″N89°39′34″W / 40.57639°N 89.65944°W [1] |
| Carries |  Illinois Route 9 - 4 lanes |
| Crosses | Illinois River |
| Locale | Pekin, Illinois |
| Other name(s) | Pekin Bridge |
| Maintained by | Illinois Department of Transportation |
| ID number | 000090011405432 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Girder bridge |
| Total length | 2,634 feet (803 m) |
| Width | 78 feet (24 m) |
| Longest span | 550 feet (170 m) |
| Clearance below | 75 feet (23 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1982 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 13,900 (2005) |
| Location | |
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The John T. McNaughton Bridge, also known as the Pekin Bridge, is a steel girder bridge that carries Illinois Route 9 over the Illinois River from downtown Pekin to Peoria County in central Illinois. The John T. McNaughton Bridge was built in 1982 to replace a steel truss with a movable span. [2] The bridge was constructed with a 75 foot clearance in order to allow river navigation, and it has a length of 2,634 feet. [2]
The bridge is named for John T. McNaughton, who was United States Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs [3] and Robert S. McNamara's closest adviser during the Vietnam War. McNaughton was also a Harvard Law School professor. He died in a plane crash at age 45, less than two weeks before he would have become Secretary of the Navy. [3]
