County of site: Knox County
ocation of site: US 50 (Vigo St.) over Wabash River @ Vincennes
Date built: 1932
Built by: Bennett, Parsons & Frost
"Drivers who utilize the Lincoln Memorial Bridge will have to adjust their routes next week.
"The Indiana Department of Transportation announced on Wednesday the bridge connecting downtown Vincennes to Westport, Illinois, will be closed next week for scheduled maintenance.
"The closure is expected to begin on Monday and last for about five days, depending on weather conditions
"Once it goes into effect, the bridge, which opened on Sept. 3, 1933, will be off limits around the clock.
"INDOT maintenance crews will be working on the bridge joints, which, according to district communications director Jason Tiller, are exactly what they sound like.
'“They are the places where the sections of the bridge deck meet,” he said. “There are pieces of flexible, but durable material in those joints that keep them from rubbing against each other and causing damage during expansion and contraction.”
"Typically, Tiller added, joints don't need a whole lot of maintenance.
"But because it's more complicated to make large repairs on a historic structure like the Lincoln Memorial Bridge, INDOT crews are even more proactive than usual with scheduled maintenance.
'“Replacement of a joint is a fairly straightforward process,” Tiller explained. “We remove the materials that are currently in place and replace them with new. This will also help the ride on the memorial bridge be a little smoother for motorists.”
"The official detour for this closure, according to INDOT, uses U.S. 41, U.S. 50, and Illinois Route 33.
"The memorial bridge was last closed in fall 2016, when it shut down so crews could tackle cleaning, joint sealing, facade repair and pavement rehabilitation.
"That closure was estimated to last six months, but the work wrapped up four months ahead of schedule." ~ Vincennes Sun-Commercial, By Jess Cohen, August 23, 2018