Red Covered Bridge (Illinois)
The Red Covered Bridge is a wooden covered bridge that runs over Big Bureau Creek north of Princeton in Dover Township, Bureau County, Illinois. It was originally built in 1863, at a cost of $3,148.57.[2] The 149-foot (45 m) span is one of ten remaining covered bridges in Illinois, and it is still open to traffic, though now covered with CCTV cameras. It was once part of the Peoria-Galena Trail.[3]
Red Covered Bridge | |
 Shown with its white guardrail | |
| Location | 2 mi. N of Princeton, IL off IL 26 on Old Dad Joe Trail |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°24′59″N 89°28′42.3″W / 41.41639°N 89.478417°W |
| Built | 1863 |
| NRHP reference No. | 75000640[1] |
| Added to NRHP | April 23, 1975 |
The bridge was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on April 23, 1975.[1]
In April 2021, a truck driver's GPS routing system sent him through the bridge; the truck caused some damage before he stopped and backed out. Additional height and weight restriction signs were added after the incident.[4] In mid-November 2023, the iconic bridge was severely damaged by a semi tractor trailer crossing and was closed indefinitely for damage assessment and pending future plans.[5][6][7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ Sunmark, D. E. (January 1973). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Red Covered Bridge" (PDF). National Park Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-16. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
- ^ "Red Covered Bridge". Illinois River Road National Scenic Byway. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
- ^ Bullington, Jonathan (2023-11-28). "Historic covered bridge in Illinois severely damaged". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
- ^ "Historic 'Red Covered Bridge' in Princeton, Illinois hit by semi truck". wqad.com. November 16, 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
- ^ "Historic Covered Bridge Destroyed After Semi-Trailer Crashes Into It". Inside Edition. 2023-11-17. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
- ^ KWQC News: Princeton’s iconic Red Covered Bridge suffers extensive damage after being hit by semi, retrieved 2023-11-29
External links
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