From the Village of Long Grove newsletter, “The Bridge”:
On February 9th, the Village was notified that the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency has determined that our covered bridge is eligible for placement on the National Register of Historic Places. IDOT subsequently informed the Village that because of this status, federal law would now prohibit the use of state or federal money to demolish the covered bridge. As a result of this and the many public comments received via email, petitions, and expressed in person at the February 14th Village Board meeting, the Trustees voted in a non-binding “straw poll” to discontinue spending any further time and money exploring the option of replacing the current covered bridge with a two-lane version built to federal standards. Village staff and engineers will be meeting with the federal representatives in early April to better determine what steps are needed to study and restore the bridge in accordance with the guidelines for eligibility for the National Register.
