Decorative lighting part of Montgomery Mill Street bridge upgrades

The village of Montgomery’s landmark Mill Street bridge soon will get some structural repairs, a fresh coat of paint and decorative lights as a result of action taken this week by the Village Board.

In a series of three, unanimous votes Monday evening, April 24, the board awarded contracts totaling $856,479 for the work on the 39-year-old structure that spans the Fox River in downtown.

The board approved a contract totaling $461,890 to Frank Marshall Electric of Aurora to install decorative rope lighting on the arch panels that are mounted on the sides of the bridge, and a contract totaling $230,823 to Era-Valdiva Contractors to paint the bridge. A third contract, totaling $163,766, was awarded to Path Construction Company for structural improvement work.

Christopher Ott, an engineer with Engineering Enterprises Inc., of Sugar Grove, the village’s engineering consultants, told the board that the goal is to have all of the work completed before the annual Montgomery Fest community celebration in August. The festival attracts large crowds to Montgomery Park, located off Mill Street, just north of the bridge.

The Illinois Department of Transportation constructed the bridge in 1984. It replaced a bridge that had been built in the early 20th century.

In constructing the current bridge, village officials lobbied the Illinois Department of Transportation to install concrete panels on the sides of the bridge to mimic the distinctive arches on the prior structure. Over the years, lights have been hung on the panels, accenting the arches at night and reflecting on the river.