A process that has taken over 4 years to get completed is now done, as Thrill Hill Bridge is now back open to traffic today. The bridge has been closed since May of 2014, when it was determined to be unsafe to thru traffic by I-DOT. The process to get the bridge has been an arduous one. First, all bridges fall under I-DOT for approval. Second the bridge site incurred vandalism on 3 different occasions and the project had to get a new survey each time on the project. The bridge being open now allows for drivers to connect from U.S. Route 51–just north of Vandalia–to very close to Illinois Route 185, cutting several minutes off the commute.
