Route 17 to close at Sparland for RR crossing repairs next w

PARLAND – Emergency responders in Marshall County have been making preparations for a projected five-day closing of Illinois Route 17 next week at the Iowa Interstate Railroad crossing in Sparland.

The highway will close there at 7 a.m. Monday for crossing repairs expected to be completed by 5 p.m. Friday, the Illinois Department of Transportation said in a recent news release.

The closing stands to have a major impact on east-west traffic because the closest alternative bridges over the Illinois River are at Henry to the north and Peoria to the south. The bridge at Lacon carried 7,000 vehicles a day last year, including 580 trucks, according to the Average Daily Traffic Count map on IDOT’s website.
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