UPDATED 4:06 P.M.
EAST PEORIA, Ill. – The Illinois Department of Transportation and the company that owns the crane that caught on fire Tuesday afternoon near the McClugage Bridge are reacting to the blaze.
Construction of the new part of the bridge is currently on a timeline to be finished by 2025. But Paul Wappel, Illinois Department of Transportation spokesperson, says they’ll reassess that after the fire.
“It is somewhat dependent on whether the barge carrying the crane can be salvaged, and this process might take a few weeks to completely assess the damage and any schedule implications it may have,” Wappel said.
Part of the crane fell into the Illinois River, and is likely a total loss.
Wappel also says while the fire didn’t reach the construction area of the bridge, they’ll have a full inspection of some elements not currently being constructed. He says that could take a couple weeks to complete.
Southland Contracting of Texas owns the crane. They say they’re working with East Peoria Fire to determine the cause of the fire, and with the Coast Guard to secure the crane so normal barge traffic can resume.
Southland says most of the employees were off site at the time of the fire and no one was hurt.
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EAST PEORIA, Ill. – The company responsible for the crane that was destroyed after it caught on fire while on a barge in the Illinois River at the McClugage Bridge is making a statement.
Southland Contracting of Texas owns Johnson Brothers Corporation, part of the group that is adding the new span to the bridge.
In a statement, the company says it is working with East Peoria Fire to determine the cause of the blaze that started after work had wrapped for the day Tuesday.
Part of the crane collapsed and fell into the River, and Southland says it’s working with the Coast Guard to secure the crane so that normal barge traffic can resume.
Most of the employees, the company says, were off site at the time of the fire, and no one was hurt.
WMBD Radio News expects to hear from the Illinois Department of Transportation later Wednesday regarding what they know about the situation, including any impact on construction.
Regarding the incident at the McClugage Bridge construction site, Johnson Bros. Corporation is actively working with authorities to thoroughly investigate the cause of the fire. It’s important to note that the majority of workers were off-site and that there were no injuries. The East Peoria and Peoria fire departments swiftly responded and successfully extinguished the fire. Johnson Bros. Corporation is also coordinating with the USCG to secure the crane and restore normal marine traffic as soon as possible. Johnson Bros. Corporation has no further comment at this time. — Prepared statement from Southland Contracting
