Bridge Replacement Project Set to Close Portion of Center Grove Road for Summer Months

EDWARDSVILLE – Center Grove Road will be closed east of Esic Drive for several months beginning Tuesday, May 27, 2025, for replacement of the bridge that carries traffic over the MCT Nickel Plate Trail.

The approximately $3.6 million project will include replacement of the bridge superstructure and guardrails, pier repairs, pavement patching and marking. The closure was scheduled for the summer months to limit travel disruptions and slowdowns near the two schools on Center Grove Road – Edwardsville High School and Metro East Lutheran High School.

The road is expected to reopen just prior to Edwardsville School District 7’s first day of the 2025-26 school year, which is Wednesday, August 20. Construction crews will be on site 10 hours a day, six days a week, weather permitting.

Detour signs will be posted. To bypass the closure, drivers can use Esic Drive and Governors’ Parkway for access to and from Illinois Routes 159 and 157. Access will be maintained throughout the project to Edwardsville Township Park at 6368 Center Grove Road and to the business access road on the northeast side of the bridge.

Pedestrians and cyclists who use Madison County Transit’s Nickel Plate Trail in the area of the bridge should be alert for periodic closures. Scaffolding is being utilized to provide a clear path for public access when it’s not closed for construction.

When Center Grove Road reopens, traffic will narrow to two lanes across the bridge, with the westbound lane shifting to what previously was a center lane. The former westbound lane will be reconstructed as a protected pedestrian lane in anticipation of a future shared use path. No timeline is available for shared use path construction in that area, but the City is pursuing funding sources for the project.

The bridge first opened in January 1990, when Center Grove Road was transformed from a two-lane oil road to three paved lanes running between Illinois Route 157 and Illinois Route 159 (now Troy Road). The bridge was designed to replace a depressed, below-grade railroad crossing that now functions as part of the Nickel Plate Trail. The road handles an estimated 12,600 vehicles every day.

Funding for the construction project is coming from local, state and federal sources, including funds set aside by Madison County. The City appreciates the efforts of Madison County Board Chairman Chris Slusser and Madison County Engineer Adam Walden for their assistance.

Print Version