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IN-IL: New Harmony Bridge

Started by mukade, October 27, 2011, 10:28:23 PM

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US 41

You'd think past tolls collected would go to fixing and maintaining the bridge.
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jnewkirk77

#26
Quote from: hbelkins on August 20, 2014, 11:30:24 AM
This caused me to go back and look at my photos from 2008. A couple of things I noticed:

1.) They've added a better barricade since then.



2.) Why was the "Toll Bridge Pay Ahead" sign added since the bridge has been closed?



Compare these to the photo accompanying the story:



It reopened later in '08 after they added another pier made of steel on the Illinois side to supplement a concrete one that was cracked. It stayed open about four years before the last - and current - closure.

To US 41: Money from toll collections was used for payroll, a small stipend for the three commissioners, and the rest was used for upkeep. Problem is, toll revenue decreased to the point that the commission couldn't afford even band-aid fixes. It should be noted that they also had to pay property tax in Illinois and utility bills, too. They still get $100/month from the natural gas pipeline that runs underneath it and $150/month for the parallel fiber optic line, but that doesn't go very far.

hbelkins

Apparently they reopened it in 2008 shortly after I was there.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

jnewkirk77

I think it opened in April '08; it was closed for about 9 months.

dvferyance

I would call it the Fifth Harmony bridge.

tidecat

Quote from: dvferyance on June 10, 2016, 10:36:37 PM
I would call it the Fifth Harmony bridge.
Except it will never get finished since the contractor decided to work from home.


iPhone
Clinched: I-264 (KY), I-265 (KY), I-359 (AL), I-459 (AL), I-865 (IN)

silverback1065

this bridge will never be replaced right?

theline

Quote from: silverback1065 on June 30, 2016, 08:38:59 PM
this bridge will never be replaced right?

I think you're right. The bridge is hardly needed, since I-64 crosses just a few miles upstream.

hbelkins

Are their any issues with farm equipment needing to cross the river there? Farm implements can't use I-64.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

alecscradle

I'm not sure farm equipment ever have much reason to cross State lines.  I could be wrong though.

hbelkins

Quote from: alecscradle on July 01, 2016, 04:12:07 PM
I'm not sure farm equipment ever have much reason to cross State lines.  I could be wrong though.

When work was being done on the Shawneetown Bridge (KY 56/IL 13) a few years ago and a rather narrow lane restriction was in place, a ferry was put in place to shuttle oversized farm equipment across the Ohio River.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

jnewkirk77

Quote from: alecscradle on July 01, 2016, 04:12:07 PM
I'm not sure farm equipment ever have much reason to cross State lines.  I could be wrong though.
Ribeyre Island, on the west bank of the Wabash at New Harmony, is in Indiana, but can only be accessed from Illinois. With equipment, that's a pretty long round trip. And they've got to make it more often than a lot of us probably realize.

silverback1065

was this bridge ever owned by either DOT?

adt1982

Quote from: silverback1065 on July 02, 2016, 05:10:57 PM
was this bridge ever owned by either DOT?

No.  It was originally owned by the White County Bridge Commission.  Then it was sold to Posey County.

silverback1065

maybe they could make it a ped bridge then.

adt1982

Quote from: silverback1065 on July 03, 2016, 04:59:05 PM
maybe they could make it a ped bridge then.

What pedestrian traffic would it serve, exactly?

silverback1065

Quote from: adt1982 on July 04, 2016, 10:38:34 PM
Quote from: silverback1065 on July 03, 2016, 04:59:05 PM
maybe they could make it a ped bridge then.

What pedestrian traffic would it serve, exactly?
More for recreational biking than walking

US 41

Since the bridge isn't open anymore I wonder if INDOT will try to decommission SR 66 into New Harmony?
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silverback1065

Quote from: US 41 on July 05, 2016, 09:43:00 AM
Since the bridge isn't open anymore I wonder if INDOT will try to decommission SR 66 into New Harmony?

I would say no, because SR 66 always stopped short of the bridge.

Life in Paradise

Most likely Highway 66 will not be decommissioned since New Harmony is a state historic site.  Where there is a state park or historic site involved, they usually do not decommission.  Examples-IN 441 in Vincennes (George Rogers Clark), IN-269 (Harmony State Park) and IN-364 (Pike State Park). 

hbelkins

The one time I was there, the "END IND 66" sign was right at the approach to the bridge.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

theline

When I was there last fall, the sign was still the one pictured in the GSV: https://goo.gl/maps/EyYMJAx99u72

Of course, now there is a "Road Closed" sign and barrier blocking the approach, just beyond the END 66 sign.

hbelkins

Go to Street View on the other side of the river, and you see signs for END IL 14, BEGIN IN 66.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

coatimundi

Quote from: hbelkins on July 07, 2016, 03:22:51 PM
Go to Street View on the other side of the river, and you see signs for END IL 14, BEGIN IN 66.

Illinois' wishful thinking?
Since the bridge is/was owned by White County, it seems like both routes ending at their respective approaches would make the most sense. Though the IN state maps seem to all show 66 going up to the middle of the river.

I went over the bridge a couple of times in the last ten years, and always wondered how they were able to justify keeping the toll collectors in the booths with such low traffic volumes. I guess they weren't.
I don't know that this will absolutely kill New Harmony. They get a lot of traffic (it's an interesting place), and most of it likely comes from either Evansville or I-64, and both are easier to reach on the Indiana side of the river anyway.

theline

Quote from: coatimundi on July 08, 2016, 11:19:21 AM

I don't know that this will absolutely kill New Harmony. They get a lot of traffic (it's an interesting place), and most of it likely comes from either Evansville or I-64, and both are easier to reach on the Indiana side of the river anyway.

My feelings exactly. We visited it on a day trip during a stay with our daughter in Evansville. It's a fascinating little town with its history and quirky little shops. We regret that we didn't get their earlier in the day to fully experience the history.



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