🌉 Stone Arch Bridge (Danville, Illinois)

The Stone Arch Bridge is a bridge in Danville, Illinois, which carries U.S. Route 136 across Stony Creek. The segmental arch bridge is 92 feet (28 m) long and built with sandstone. The bridge was built in the 1890s to facilitate Danville's expansion during an industrial boom. As various geographic and political limitations prevented the city from expanding in any directions but east and southeast, the city grew over Stony Creek, necessitating a new bridge. Mayor John Beard commissioned the bridge; during the 1890s, Beard and political rival John Cannon clashed over many issues, and Beard most likely built the bridge to demonstrate his political effectiveness. The bridge is the only segmented arch bridge remaining in east-central Illinois and is one of five stone arch bridges in the region.