Wilmington prairie receives funds to for 2 bridge replacement projects

Thanks to the Great American Outdoors Act and a newly created restoration fund, the visitor experience at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie will soon be enhanced.

The Blodgett Road bridge projects at Midewin will be the first round of improvements through the GAOA, according to a news release from Midewin.

One project involves replacing a 75-year-old failed timber bridge (known as bridge 28) with a new bridge. Another is the removal of an old concrete culvert (known as bridge 29).

The news release also said that both projects “assist in the recreational experiences on the prairie plus the ongoing prairie and waterway restoration efforts.”

“The Great American Outdoors Act provides an opportunity to complete projects to help restore and increase habitat for grassland birds, wildlife, plants and other native Illinois prairie species,” Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie supervisor Wade Spang said in the release.

These projects are part of the $285 million investment made possible by the newly created National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund. The Great American Outdoors Act established the fund in 2020.

With these funds, USDA Forest Service will be able to implement more than 500 infrastructure improvement projects, which will “support roughly 4,400 jobs and contribute $420 million to the gross domestic product,” USDA Forest Service economists estimated in the release.

For more information, visit fs.usda.gov/midewin.