September 19, 2024
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Eldamain Road bridge construction ahead of schedule; structure expected to open late this year

Span will be Kendall County’s eighth Fox River crossing and the longest

By Mark Foster

FILE PHOTO: View of the Eldamain Bridge and extension project site as it appeared ast spring.

YORKVILLE – Work on the Eldamain Road bridge over the Fox River is running ahead of schedule and the new span is expected to open to traffic before the end of the year.

The $35 million roadway and bridge project between Yorkville and Plano will connect Route 34 with Route 71 and extend farther south to West High Point Road.

Kendall County Highway Engineer Fran Klaas said the concrete-and-steel bridge structure is about 60% complete.

Meanwhile, roadway work is continuing apace between River Road and West High Point Road, Klaas said.

The Eldamain Road bridge is just the eighth Fox River crossing location in Kendall County and the first since the Orchard Road bridge opened in 2001, Klaas said.

It is about five miles between the Route 47 bridge in downtown Yorkville and the Fox River Drive crossing south of Plano.

“That’s a really big gap,” Klaas said. “That’s a long way without a crossing.”

FILE PHOTO: Fran Klaas (center), highway engineer for Kendall County, gives an update on the Mill Road temporary resurfacing project during a joint city public works and county highway committees meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019 at City Hall in Yorkville. (Katie Finlon)

The new structure is just about halfway between the Yorkville and Plano bridges.

The 1,557-foot-long span will be Kendall County’s longest. It is supported by seven piers in a simple design Klaas describes as “very utilitarian.”

The two-lane bridge is engineered to allow for a relatively easy expansion to four lanes if needed someday.

There is still plenty of work ahead on the current project, which is why Fox Road will be closed for up to 90 days at some point in the construction schedule, probably during the summer, Klaas said.

Planning for the bridge and roadway extension dates to 1992, when a centerline was recorded, Klaas said.

Preliminary engineering began about 15 years ago and the county spent many years working through environmental impact issues. Construction actually began in March 2021.

Funding for the project comes largely from the state and federal governments, along with Kendall County Transportation Tax funds.

At the southern end of the project, drawings have been rendered for a future Lisbon Road extension, making a connection with Walker Road to the south, but there are no immediate plans to carry out the extension, Klaas said.