Florence Bridge

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Florence Bridge
Coordinates	39°37′57.30″N 90°36′26.36″W / 39.6325833°N 90.6073222°W / 39.6325833; -90.6073222
Carries	IL 100 / IL 106
Crosses	Illinois River
Locale	East of Florence, Illinois
History
Opened	1929
Location

The Florence Bridge is a vertical-lift bridge that carries Illinois Route 100 (IL 100) and IL 106 across the Illinois River from Florence to Scott County, Illinois. The bridge is the middle of the three Illinois River crossings on IL 100, with the other two in Hardin (South of Florence) and Beardstown (North of Florence). From its opening in 1929 until 1991, it carried U.S. Route 36 (US 36) and IL 100. In 1991, Interstate 72 (I-72) and the Valley City Eagle Bridges were completed 6 miles (9.7 km) upstream, and US 36 was designated onto I-72, with the old route signed as IL 106 (IL 100 was not rerouted). The bridge was rehabilitated in 1981, and again in 2004. The second time, the bridge was closed due to the need to replace the deck. Traffic was detoured to I-72. In 2012, the bridge's lifting mechanism that allows barge traffic to pass under the bridge had serious problems, and continued use could affect the structural integrity of the span. Therefore, the span was raised and the bridge closed for nine months for repairs, using I-72 as a detour. The bridge reopened on April 22, 2013.

On June 20, 2019, barges pushed by a tugboat struck the bridge in multiple places, causing visible damage. The bridge was closed for emergency repairs, and traffic was detoured over I-72.^[1]