Cairo bridge to close next month

CAIRO, Ill. -- The District 9 Office of the Illinois Department of Transportation has announced that the bridge carrying US 60 and 62 over the Mississippi River will be closed to all vehicular traffic, effective Jan. 11, 2011. This structure is located south of Cairo. On Nov. 29, traffic was restricted to a 15-ton weight limit because of the deteriorated condition of the floor beam system. While the Illinois State Police have aggressively enforced the weight-limit restriction, there have been an excessive number of overweight violations totaling approximately $560,000 in assessed fines. The closure is necessary due to noncompliance with that weight limit restriction. The Illinois and Missouri departments of transportation are preparing plans to repair the bridge. It will reopen when those improvements have been completed. For more information, contact Keith Miley at the Illinois Department of Transportation, 618-549-2171.