New York Street Bridge over the Fox River

The existing New York Street Bridge over the Fox River is a historic nine-span open spandrel concrete arch bridge that serves as a critical urban river crossing in downtown Aurora. The existing bridge is structurally deficient, functionally obsolete and in need of repair.
The New York Street Bridge is listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as a contributing resource to the Stolp Island Historic District. This historic designation creates a critical constraint that informs the environmental process for this project. The bridge’s rehabilitation requires the team to develop solutions that mitigate environmental impacts and preserve the bridge’s historical significance.
The project aims to complete preliminary engineering for a cost-effective bridge rehabilitation alternative that addresses the existing deterioration, reduces maintenance costs, extends the major rehabilitation timeline and preserves the key historical features of the structure.
The preliminary design phase involves a thorough bridge inspection and condition report, an advanced bridge load rating analysis, and a bridge alternative evaluation report. Additionally, the scope includes field surveys, utility coordination, environmental and geometric studies, drainage assessments and a traffic management plan.
A notable feature of the bridge is its direct access to the Hollywood Casino. The planned relocation of the casino offers a unique opportunity to complete bridge rehab work during a window of time when the casino is closed and a new development is not yet built out.
Significant stakeholder coordination, including a targeted public involvement plan, is required to mitigate user impacts during construction.
Preliminary engineering design approval is targeted for the summer of 2024, with the final design beginning immediately thereafter.