Here’s a weird one – a bridge along US 50 in southwestern Illinois that has an unused twin!
Here it is, up close and personal.
There are actually four such bridges along this 21-mile stretch of US 50 between Carlyle and Lebanon. The State of Illinois built them in about 1973 anticipating a four-lane divided highway that never materialized. Overpasses along this stretch are wide enough to accommodate a four-lane highway too.
I’ve heard that there were plans for I-64 to follow the US 50 corridor, and, later, plans for a US 50 expressway from St. Louis to Vincennes, neither of which came to be. I’ve also heard that dreams for a US 50 expressway still persist in southern Illinois. Not only is much of the infrastructure in place along this stretch, but much of an older alignment of US 50 lies unused next to the current alignment in south-central and southeastern Illinois.
When the time comes to build the road to this bridge, it looks like all they have to do here is lay some asphalt and put a bar across that railing!
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