F.H. Paschen Selected for Historic State Line Bridge Removal and Preservation Project on Illinois-Indiana Border

F.H. Paschen Begins Work to Clear Abandoned Kankakee River Crossing and Preserve Historic Steel Bridge

LAKE COUNTY, Indiana - National infrastructure builder F.H. Paschen has started site work to dismantle the historic State Line Bridge over the Kankakee River. The long-abandoned 224 foot crossing sits on the Indiana-Illinois border, touching Lake and Newton counties in Indiana and Kankakee County in Illinois.

The Project Opening Ceremony event was lead by Scott Pelath, executive director of the Kankakee River Basin and Yellow River Basin Development Commission along with regional leaders including Lake County Commissioner Jerry Tippy, R-Schererville; Commissioner Mike Repay, D-Hammond; County Attorney Matt Fech; and Surveyor Bill Emerson Jr., along with state lawmakers State Rep. Mike Aylesworth, R-Hebron and State Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie.

Indiana Governor Mike Braun was represented at the event by Tony Ferraro, Braun’s Northwest Indiana regional director.

Closed to vehicle traffic since 1999, the 1900-era Pennsylvania through-truss bridge has blocked water flow for years, catching debris and worsening upstream flood risks.

F.H. Paschen is self-performing site access work, causeway preparation, and environmental controls. Subcontractor Danny’s Construction Company is handling the disassembly and removal of the bridge. Merrillville engineering firm Butler, Fairman, and Seufert developed the removal plan.

"Removing this bridge solves a decades-old drainage headache for property owners along the river," said James Reitz, Vice President of F.H. Paschen’s Indiana Group. "Our Merrillville office is set up to run complex civil jobs, and our crews know how to keep projects moving while protecting surrounding natural areas."

According to HistoricBridges.org, State Line Bridge is “an extremely rare example of one-lane pin-connected Pennsylvania through-truss bridge”.

Once lowered, the steel framing will be cataloged and stored.

"Bridges built like this simply do not exist in the Midwest anymore," said Jordan L. Falls, Project Manager at F.H. Paschen. “Preserving a century-old structure while working over an active river requires careful field discipline, but tackling complex jobs like this is what our team does best."

From regional offices in Merrillville, Lafayette, and South Bend. F.H. Paschen’s Indiana portfolio also includes roadway upgrades along U.S. 35 in LaPorte, Indiana, an extension of the Marquette Greenway Trail in Northwest Indiana and municipal drainage improvements in the Town of St. John.

Source: F.H. Paschen.