Rating:
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Hennepin Bridge

Bureau County, Illinois, and Putnam County, Illinois

Photos 

Hennepin Bridge 1980's

looking east

Photo by Gene Smania

License: Released into public domain

BH Photo #249497

Map 

Facts 

Overview
Lost through truss bridge over Illinois River on Old IL 26 in Hennepin
Location
Hennepin, Bureau County, Illinois, and Putnam County, Illinois
Status
Removed but not replaced
History
Built 1938; Bypassed 1969 with the I-180 Bridge, removed after 2000
Builders
- Bethlehem Steel Co. of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (Fabrication, At Chicago Plant)
- Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Co. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Erection)
Design
Continuous Warren through truss
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 378.0 ft.
Approximate latitude, longitude
+41.25518, -89.34933   (decimal degrees)
41°15'19" N, 89°20'58" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
16/303174/4569747 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Depue
Inventory number
BH 36916 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

Bethlehem Steel Co. (154)
Built 1938 (899)
Built during 1930s (12,167)
Bureau County, Illinois (121)
Cantilevered (309)
Cantilevered truss (250)
Hennepin, Illinois (2)
Illinois (4,929)
Illinois River (62)
Lost (28,488)
 Lost 2000 (411)
Lost during 2000s (4,406)
Owned by state (16,555)
Putnam County, Illinois (14)
Span length 250-500 feet (1,259)
Through truss (16,792)
Truss (35,469)
Warren through truss (1,704)
Warren truss (7,002)
Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Co. (174)

Update Log 

  • October 11, 2021: Updated by Nathan Holth: Added builders
  • January 13, 2015: New photos from Gene Smania
  • February 25, 2013: New photos from Gene Smania
  • November 16, 2011: Updated by Steve Conro: adjusted GPS
  • July 5, 2009: Updated by Kim Harvey: bridge type, terraserver info
  • July 23, 2008: Added by Kim Harvey

Sources 

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Comments 

Hennepin Bridge
Posted October 11, 2021, by Nathan Holth (webmaster [at] historicbridges [dot] org)

Historical article attached.

Attachment #1 (application/pdf; 4,079,477 bytes)

Hennepin Bridge
Posted February 25, 2013, by Ken Schroeder (thammorn [at] gmail [dot] com)

Actually, this bridge does not exist in any form. When the original was demolished near 2000, there was no replacement even considered.

Hennepin Bridge
Posted March 17, 2011, by Gene Smania

Bridge plate from Hennepin Bridge.

Hennepin Bridge
Posted March 12, 2011, by Gene Smania

In the mid-1960's J & L Steel built a plant at Hennepin, on the east side of the Illinois River. The State of Illinois built an interstate (designated I-180) to connect the plant to Interstate 80 to the north, which required building a new bridge across the Illinois River. The interstate bridge was upstream of the Rt 26 bridge and when the old bridge was closed in 1989 exit and entrance ramps were constructed from I-180 to Illinois Rt 26 to provide access to the west side of the river. The Rt 26 bridge was removed in 2001. Prior to the building of the Rt 26 bridge the only way to cross the river was by a ferry. Photos were taken in 1939 by Art Kistler, IDOT employee.