Lucinda Avenue bridge reopens in DeKalb

DeKALB – Long-awaited bridge work on Lucinda Avenue has been completed, and the newly reconstructed bridge is reopen for traffic in DeKalb.

City officials confirmed the project completion in a social media post on Friday.

“The City would like to thank the community for its patience during construction,” staff wrote.

Traffic could be seen using the bridge on a rainy Sunday afternoon. The nearby sidewalk also is walkable, and the traffic detour has been lifted.

The replacement of the 70-year-old bridge over the Kishwaukee River initially began in the spring 2023 and was expected to be done in October 2023. Continual delays that city staff said were because of complications with the utility companies pushed the timeline back.

The city also replaced the bridge over the river on First Street, which reopened in December 2023, also later than anticipated.

Most of the project costs were covered by federal dollars, city documents show. The joint bridge replacement work cost about $5.6 million, funded by about $4.5 million in federal dollars and $1.1 million from local state tax revenue from motor fuel sales, according to the city.