U.S. 60/62 bridge to reopen

The U.S. 60/62 bridge over the Mississippi River at Cairo, Ill., will reopen Tuesday, March 6, after being closed since January 2011.

The bridge connecting Missouri was closed to repair badly deteriorated deck beams, the Illinois Department of Transportation said. The bridge was closed earlier than expected because of continued non-compliance by truck operators over 15-ton weight restrictions, IDOT said. The reopened bridge will have a GVW of 80,000 pounds.

Before the almost mile-long bridge was closed, about 800 tractor-trailers crossed daily out of about 3,500 vehicles.