The Batavia City Council has rejected an Illinois Department of Transportation proposal to close the Donovan Bridge for four months or longer next year while a replacement bridge is under construction.
“We promised residents that the bridge would stay open during construction as much as possible,” said Ald. James Volk (4th), who asked the council Monday to vote down the plan. “A four-month closure would have a significant effect on school traffic and public safety [trying to get buses and emergency vehicles across the Fox River].”
Batavia’s only high school is west of the river; its only middle school is east of the river; and its only police station is on Duck Island, accessible only by Wilson Street at the west end of the bridge.
The four-month closure is one of several changes IDOT officials are pushing to trim the $10 million project, originally set to cost about $7 million.