Libertyville bridge opens to traffic

LIBERTYVILLE – The bridge between Fairfield and Libertyville that has been under construction for the past year is now finished.

News of the bridge’s opening came Monday morning, Sept. 8, during the Jefferson County Board of Supervisor meeting. Jefferson County Engineer DeWayne Heintz was giving the supervisors an update on the bridge, and while he was at the table, he and the supervisors received word from the contractor that the bridge had just opened to traffic.

Iowa Bridge & Culvert of Washington won the bid to rebuild the bridge last year for about $2 million, with $1.5 million coming from federal grants and the rest coming from state grants, none of it coming from the county’s budget.

The bridge spans Big Cedar Creek on Libertyville Road, and is just east of the entrance to Fairfield Quarry. Heintz told The Union that it needed to be replaced because it was “just plain worn out.” It was built in the 1950s and had reached the typical lifespan of a bridge.

The bridge had been closed since Oct. 28, 2024, after which motorists who wished to travel between Fairfield and Libertyville had to take a detour on Hemlock Avenue and Old Highway 34. Heintz initially expected the bridge to be closed for seven months, though the contract with Iowa Bridge & Culvert gave the company until the end of October 2025 to finish the project.

  Buy Photo

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com