Further weight restrictions may curb access to Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in Illinois

A bridge leading to the iconic Old Chain of Rocks Bridge from Illinois may see additional weight restrictions, keeping only the smallest vehicles allowable to the site.

According to St. Louis Public Radio, the Old Chain of Rocks Canal Bridge that runs to the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge has seen its weight limits plummet from 23 to 7 tons.

Locals are fearful the limit will fall to 3.5 tons without millions of repairs to the deteriorating Canal Bridge.

The feared weight restrictions not only would prevent farm equipment and big trucks from using the bridge, but also large recreational vehicles used by a substantial number of Route 66 travelers.

The aging bridge owned by the city of Madison, Illinois, needs repairs — $4 million for a band-aid fix and $26-28 million for full repairs — or farmers, utility companies and government agencies may not be able to get anything heavier than a car across.

“There’s a lot of reasons we really need to have that bridge open,” said John Hamm, Madison’s mayor for the last 25 years.

But Madison, population 3,171, doesn’t have the cash or tax base to fund either option, Hamm said. That’s led the city to look for a solution from state or federal grant money or possible financial support from some of the entities that own land or do business on the island.

Many Route 66 travelers access the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge from the Illinois side because of the lower chance of vehicle break-ins than on the St. Louis side.

The 5,300-foot-long Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, built in 1929, contains a 22-degree bend in the middle and served as Route 66 for many years.

The St. Louis side, however, broke ground a year ago to make improvements to that side of the bridge, including security enhancements. Completion for that is set for 2024.

The nearby New Chain of Rocks Bridge that carries Interstate 270 opened in 1966, and the older bridge closed four years later.

The bridge was used in a scene of 1983’s “Escape from New York” movie. It appeared the span would be demolished, but the costs of doing so were too prohibitive.

In 1998, Trailnet leased the bridge and spent millions to shore it up for cycling and pedestrian use.

(Image of the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge and water intake tower No. 2 by cmh2315fl via Flickr)