The Wabash County Highway Department continues to make progress on road projects, but one county bridge has been closed after sustaining damage from recent heavy rains.
Highway Engineer Dustin Bunting told the Wabash County Commissioners Monday afternoon that the bridge on 1100 East, about three-quarters of a mile north of Poor Farm Road, has been barricaded and officially closed after inspections found the north abutment had become unsafe.
Bunting said much of the bridge's headwall has washed away, making the structure unsafe for travel. He said the bridge is expected to remain closed until it can be replaced, which he hopes will happen within the next two years.
Bunting also updated commissioners on the Illinois Department of Transportation's bridge bundling program. Wabash County has four bridges included in the program, but none will be part of the first group of projects expected to be bid in January 2027. He said that is the only timeline IDOT has released so far.
Elsewhere in his report, Bunting said highway crews have continued blotting roads during periods of extreme heat, patching roadways, and have begun the first round of fall mowing along striped county roads.
He also reported that a fog coat has been completed on Friendsville Avenue, with pavement striping expected once the contractor schedules the work. Bunting added he was unable to attend the Greater Wabash Regional Planning Committee's Comprehensive Safety Action Plan meeting held July 21.