A postcard from 1908 shows Long Grove’s one-lane iron truss bridge above Buffalo Creek. It was built in 1906 by Joliet Bridge and Iron Co. A wooden covering, designed by the village’s then-Mayor Robert Parker Coffin, was added to it in 1972. (National Register of Historic Places/National Park Service)
For almost 200 years, Long Grove’s residents have been like the village’s infamous covered bridge — charming with an unexpected steely foundation hidden beneath the surface.
Developers of railroads, major housing developments, expressways, hotels, churches and even a golf center named for Bulls legend Michael Jordan have all underestimated this community’s ability to defend itself against “improvements.”
And, as a result, each of these ideas failed to proceed, just like more than 40 tall vehicles that unsuccessfully attempted to squeeze through the low-clearance bridge in recent years.
Residents love their bridge so much it’s hard to get anyone to say anything negative about it.
“The collisions are not due to the bridge; it does not move,” Mayor Bill Jacob said. “Rather, the collisions are the result of drivers being inattentive to the numerous warnings regarding the bridge’s height limitations who also disregard the traffic restrictions in an effort to find a shortcut.”
Long Grove Fire Protection District Chief Paul Segalla says the bridge’s 8-foot, 6-inch clearance makes it impossible for his department’s vehicles to use, but their emergency response time stays the same using other routes.
To an outsider, this complacency may appear confusing. Why not just make the bridge opening taller?
The second Chicago Tribune article published today about the Long Grove bridge continues here.
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