An Illinois Department of Transporation spokesman says the McClugage Bridge project schedule is currently being reassessed after a crane south of the construction site caught fire and collapsed Tuesday night.
IDOT's Paul Wappel said schedule changes are somewhat dependent on whether the barge that was carrying the crane can be salvaged. Assessing the scope of the damage and how it affects the overall construction timeline might take a few weeks.
He said several bridge elements not currently constructed will undergo full inspections as a precaution. The current bridge structure was not affected.
Wappel said construction continues outside of the delay on the arch.
Johnson Brothers Corporation is the construction contractor on the project. A spokesperson said the company is working with authorities to investigate the cause of the fire. The company spokesperson also said they are working with the U.S. Coast Guard to secure the crane currently submerged in the Illinois River and restore normal barge and marine traffic as soon as possible.
Nobody was injured in Tuesday's fire. The McClugage Bridge was shut down for around an hour while Peoria and East Peoria fire crews attacked the blaze.
IDOT is building a new eastbound span of the McClugage Bridge to replace the existing 1940s structure. The new span will include pedestrian access.
The bridge construction project began in 2019. It was originally set for completion this year, but that deadline was shifted back to the fall 2024, and demolition of the existing eastbound span could potentially go into 2025.
