Bolivia Road Bridge

The Bolivia Road Bridge near Bolivia, Illinois, is the oldest bridge in Illinois to include a Parker through-truss span (named for the engineer C.H. Parker) that still serves vehicular traffic. Connecting the counties of Sangamon and Christian, this single-lane, steel-and-timber bridge was built in 1901 to cross the Sangamon River. In 2001, the Sangamon County Highway Department announced plans to replace the bridge with a new concrete structure. Due to lack of funding, however, the bridge has not yet been demolished and replaced. Local advocates are working with county and state officials to preserve the bridge for cycling and pedestrian use. In the meantime, the bridge continues to deteriorate and may risk closure.
Located 20 miles southeast of Springfield, the Bolivia Road Bridge is one of eight remaining bridges in Illinois utilizing a Parker through-truss. Most others in the state have been replaced by bridges of reinforced concrete. Steel-truss bridges 110 years ago, when this bridge was constructed, were a common bridge type of the time and were known for their strength, relative lightness, and durability. The Bolivia Road Bridge is 622 feet in length and the portal bracings of the bridge display ornamental trim and finials at the corners. The bridge was cited in the Illinois Department of Transportation’s 1994 historic bridge survey and was featured on the cover of the 2001-02 state highway map. The bridge was successfully nominated for listing in the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.