The Hawk Eye
HAMILTON, Ill. The Illinois Department of Transportation announced the 2021/26 Highway Improvement Program will fund improvements to the Keokuk/Hamilton bridge over the Mississippi River that connects the two towns in Iowa and Illinois.
The project is expected to raise the expanse leading up the the bridge on the Hamilton side, which has flooded for decades due to poor drainage, said Belynda Allen, Hancock County Economy Development executive director, who believes the improvements will help the area s growing economy including what she says are big things happening in Hamilton.
She worked more than a year with IDOT staff to obtain the funding. She had seen an inconvenient Keokuk/Hamilton bridge closure after starting her new job.
Hancock County Economic Development Executive Director Belynda Allen said the Illinois Department of Transportation sent out a Christmas gift to the area and region late last week when it reported improvements to the Illinois side of the Keokuk-Hamilton Bridge were included in the 2021/26 Highway Improvement program.
She reported that the plan includes repairs and infrastructure improvements to stop the flooding that has plagued the area for decades. The bridge has been closed several times over the years when flood waters made it impossible to drive through the Illinois side approach to the bridge.
âThere are still details that need worked out and several obstacles that will need addressed,â she said.