Seil Road Bridge: 'Eminent Domain' Underway Against Landowner: Shorewood Reveals

(The following press release was sent to Patch on behalf of Noriel Noriega, Shorewood's Public Works Director. Some of the most interesting updates are included in the subheads down below.)

SHOREWOOD, IL – The Village of Shorewood recently received its annual bridge inspection report from the Illinois Department of Transportation. The report indicated the bridge would remain reduced to one lane, operating in the middle of the bridge under a 5-ton weight limit indefinitely.

There has been no change in the deterioration of the bridge beams since the partial closure in May 2024 shifted traffic towards the middle of the bridge. Given this, the Village will continue to enforce the lane reduction to keep live-loads off the problem beams while providing safe travel to westbound traffic.

Eastbound traffic will still not be permitted on the bridge. We continue to encourage all traffic other than local residential traffic to avoid using the bridge and follow suggested detours.

Your Village officials will continue to work closely with IDOT to monitor the condition of Seil Road Bridge. Your continued assistance in this matter is greatly appreciated, and we thank you for your patience.

Background on Closure

Seil Road Bridge was constructed in the early 1980s and was identified by the Village as needing to be replaced in 2019.

Due to its age and condition, the Village is required to have the bridge inspected annually by licensed structural engineers. Once the engineers complete inspections, the bridge inspection reports are submitted and reviewed by IDOT to assess the safety of the bridge.

In May 2023, the Seil Road Bridge was put under a 5-ton weight restriction following a bridge inspection report indicating a bridge beam showed signs of deterioration. The bridge was then reduced to one lane in May 2024 due to the expanded deterioration of the beam specified in the bridge inspection report.

In an abundance of caution, IDOT provided guidance on moving live loads away from the beams with concerns. While we have shifted traffic away from those beams, the shift in traffic does not allow us to maintain two lanes of traffic.

Project Overview

The Village acquired the services of Christopher B Burke Engineering in June 2021 for Phase 2 Engineering Design. As of today, bridge and roadway designs for the Seil Road and Bridge Reconstruction Project are 100 percent complete.

The scope of the project includes constructing a new bridge with pedestrian access, new storm sewers, streetlights and a mixed-use path. It also includes changing Seil Road from a 2-lane rural cross-section to a 3-lane rural cross-section and adding two mini roundabouts.

Project Timeline

In order to bring the Seil Road and Bridge Project to bid and begin construction, the Village is required to work with several property owners near the project location. This step involves securing additional right-of-way along the road and parkways and obtaining temporary easements for construction.

While most negotiations are complete, the Village is currently pursuing eminent domain. The eminent domain process began six months ago and could last between 6 and 24 months. After this process, the project will go out to bid. Once a bid is awarded for the project, construction will take 18 to 24 months to complete.

Status on Funding

The Village has been budgeting for two projects, the Seil Road Bridge reconstruction and the associated road construction, as part of the Capital Improvement Plan for the past five years. The two projects total $12 million.

In 2020, the Village was awarded a $4 million Surface Transportation Program Grant (STP-Br) for the bridge itself.

Additional Resources

• Eastbound Seil Road Detour Map – Travel south on River Road to eastbound Mound Road to northbound Frontage Road back to Seil Road.
• Timeline Infographic on the Seil Road and Bridge Reconstruction Project