Illinois 2 Rock River bridge replacement in Rockton reaches milestone 

ROCKTON – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that work to replace the Illinois 2 bridges over the Rock River in Rockton is complete. The $25.3 million project, made possible under Gov. JB Pritzker’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan, allows for heavier vehicles to utilize the bridge in a corridor connecting the communities of Rockford, Rockton, South Beloit and Beloit, Wis. 

Built in 1965, the bridges had exceeded their design life, with a weight limit of 26 tons for a single vehicle and 40 tons for a combination vehicle. Work began in early 2024 by employing an innovative method to demolish and construct the new structures by moving the southbound bridge to the median to serve as a tramway. 

The new bridges feature shoulders, and the southbound bridge has accommodations for a future multiuse path. While the bridges are done, the project is not completed as work continues to demolish the temporary tramway and resurfacing of the road before the bridges. All work is expected to be completed by summer 2026. 

Over the next six years, IDOT is planning to improve 7,107 lane miles of highway and 8.4 million square feet of bridge deck as part of Rebuild Illinois, which is investing $33.2 billion into all modes of transportation. Accomplishments through Year Six of Rebuild Illinois include almost $20.8 billion of improvements statewide to 21,309 lane miles of highway, 815 bridges and 1,181 additional safety improvements. 

For IDOT District 2 updates, follow us on X at @IDOTDistrict2 or view area construction details on IDOT’s traveler information map on GettingAroundIllinois.com.