Robert Parker Coffin Rd. over Buffalo Cr., Long Grove, Illinois. County/parish: Lake.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places June 11, 2018. NRIS 100001672.
The Robert Parker Coffin Bridge (formerly known as the Buffalo Creek Bridge) is a Pratt pony truss bridge that spans Buffalo Creek in Long Grove, Illinois, United States. Standing 41 feet (12 m) long, it was built in 1906 by the Joliet Bridge and Iron Company. It is one of the few remaining bridges of its kind in the Chicago area and the state of Illinois, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.
In 1972, the town added a low-hanging decorative wooden covering in an effort to deter large commercial vehicles; with a clearance height of 10 feet 6 inches (3.20 m), the covering has been frequently struck by trucks, buses, and other vehicles, particularly in recent years. After a collision in 2018, the bridge was shut down for several months while the decorative covering underwent reconstruction and reinforcement with steel. The height of the bridge was also reduced to 8 feet 6 inches (2.59 m). Currently, despite enduring numerous hits since then, the structure only suffers minor damages.
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