Expect lane closure Monday for Avenue G/12th Avenue bridges between Sterling, Rock Falls

STERLING – Starting Monday, the Illinois Department of Transportation will close one lane of the Avenue G/12th Avenue bridges for two months.

Since 2015, it will be at least the third major project for the two spans, which connect the west ends of both towns.

The southbound lane from Avenue G in Sterling into Rock Falls, where the road becomes 12th Avenue, will be closed until June 23 while workers upgrade ComEd’s fiber optic system and add new conduit, which will help it respond to outages more quickly.

Northbound traffic still will be able to use the bridge, but drivers should expect delays. Access to nearby homes, businesses, parks and schools will be maintained, according to a news release.

Drivers can detour around the area by using the nearby First Avenue Bridge, accessible by West Fourth Street in Sterling and West Second Avenue in Rock Falls.

Rehabilitation work on the series of bridges over the Rock River, Sterling Steel Corp., Wallace Street and Union Pacific Railway began in May 2015 and took until February 2016 to complete.

The work, which cost $500,000, involved replacing expansion joints and bridge deck overlay, and repairing worn deck joints, bridge piers and slope walls.

The bridges also were closed for another two months in May, while $240,000 in bridge deck resurfacing was completed. Work was completed in early July.

Motorists can find updates on regional IDOT projects at @IDOTDistrict2or on Twitter or at the agency’s traveler information map at GettingAroundIllinois.com.