The Bob Michel Bridge (formerly called Franklin Street Bridge) carries

Illinois Route 40 Illinois Route 40 (IL 40) is a north–south route in central portion of the U.S. state of Illinois. It runs from Interstate 74 (I-74) in East Peoria, Illinois, East Peoria north to Illinois Route 78, IL 78 at Mount Carroll, Illinois, Mt. ...

over the Illinois River 0.75 miles (1.21 km) up-river from the

Cedar Street Bridge The Cedar Street Bridge carries Illinois Route 8 and Illinois Route 116 over the Illinois River. The bridge is a steel arch design that rises approximately 70 to above the surface of the river. The name of the bridge comes from the original na ...

. Illinois 40 terminates at an interchange with

Interstate 74 Interstate 74 (I-74) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western end is at an interchange with I-80 in Davenport, Iowa; the eastern end of its Midwest segment is at an interchange with I-75 in ...

just east of the bridge. The bridge serves as a direct surface route from a major commercial center in

East Peoria East Peoria is a city in Tazewell County, Illinois, United States. The population was 22,484 at the 2020 census. East Peoria is part of the Peoria metropolitan area, located across the Illinois River from downtown Peoria. It is home to many Cate ...

to the

Civic Center A civic center or civic centre is a prominent land area within a community that is constructed to be its focal point or center. It usually contains of one or more dominant public buildings, which may also include a government building. Recently, ...

in downtown Peoria. When completed in 1993, the Bob Michel Bridge replaced the antiquated Franklin Street Bridge, a

bascule A bascule is a counterbalanced structure (i.e. a lever) having one end that rises as the other lowers. It may also refer to: * Bascule bridge, a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span in providing clearance for b ...

and

truss bridge A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements, typically straight, may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

, which had been located on an adjacent site since 1913. The Bob Michel Bridge is the only river crossing in the Peoria area to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists. Prior to the development of the area as a commercial center, the Michel Bridge served a largely industrial area in East Peoria, including many buildings owned by nearby Caterpillar, Inc. The bridge was located at the end of an exit named "Industrial Spur". It has since been renamed to "Riverfront Drive" to account for the new commercial complex. The Bob Michel Bridge is named after former Congressman

Robert H. Michel Robert Henry Michel (; March 2, 1923 – February 17, 2017) was an American Republican Party politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives for 38 years. He represented central Illinois' 18th congressional distric ...

, a Peoria-area Republican who served as a Congressman from 1957 to 1995 and as House Minority Leader from 1981 until his retirement. The bridge is located at mile 162.3 of the Illinois River.

References

Bridges over the Illinois River Bridges completed in 1993 Buildings and structures in Peoria, Illinois East Peoria, Illinois Bridges in Tazewell County, Illinois Steel bridges in the United States Girder bridges in the United States Road bridges in Illinois Bridges in Peoria County, Illinois 1993 establishments in Illinois {{Illinois-bridge-struct-stub