The newly constructed Kishwaukee Valley Road bridge located near the City of Marengo is open to traffic in time for Thanksgiving holiday travel in McHenry County. The single-span, reinforced slab bridge features the first Test Level 4 (TL-4) steel railing to be installed in the State of Illinois that meets MASH 2016 requirements. The TL-4 railing was developed and tested by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and was able to be manufactured in Illinois because the main tube beams are the same size as the standard IDOT Type SM steel railing.
The railing consists of a post and three (3) tube beam metal railings on a concrete curb with a height of 3-ft above the bridge deck for vehicular traffic. The top portion of the selected railing also doubles as a pedestrian railing with a steel tube connected to the top of the post that is 3.5-ft above the bridge deck. This open steel railing will be an integral design element of McHenry County DOT bridge projects moving forward and will pave the way to provide increased safety measures for the traveling public.
The railing consists of a post and three (3) tube beam metal railings on a concrete curb with a height of 3-ft above the bridge deck for vehicular traffic. The top portion of the selected railing also doubles as a pedestrian railing with a steel tube connected to the top of the post that is 3.5-ft above the bridge deck. This open steel railing will be an integral design element of McHenry County DOT bridge projects moving forward and will pave the way to provide increased safety measures for the traveling public.