I-64 eastbound lanes to close overnight for Wabash River bridge work

Eastbound traffic on Interstate 64 over the Wabash River was set to close at 7 p.m. for an overnight bridge inspection and minor maintenance job, a disruption that mattered most to Perry County drivers heading toward jobs, appointments and freight routes through the Illinois-Indiana corridor. Westbound traffic was not affected, but eastbound motorists faced a marked detour and were expected to stay off the bridge into the early morning hours.

The closure affected the Wabash River crossing just east of Grayville, Illinois, where two existing I-64 bridges are already being replaced in a major long-term project. For drivers moving between southeastern Illinois and southwestern Indiana, the practical impact was brief but real: evening commuters, truck traffic and anyone crossing after dark had to reroute around one of the region’s most important east-west links.

Transportation officials said the work was a routine inspection paired with minor maintenance, part of the regular bridge-preservation cycle that state engineers use to identify deficiencies and keep bridges safe for the traveling public. The inspection came as IDOT continues a larger replacement job on the same river crossing, a six-year project estimated at $136 million that began Aug. 19, 2024, weather permitting.

Public project records identify the structures as SN 097-0003 and SN 097-0004. The replacement work covers the existing dual bridges over the Wabash River in White County, Illinois, and Posey County, Indiana, and includes about 8,339 feet of new roadway across the river. State planning documents place the overall project from July 2024 through November 2029, and say the bridges are being replaced because of their age and poor condition.

For eastbound drivers, the main alternate crossings were Illinois Route 15 at Mount Carmel and Illinois Route 141 west of Mount Vernon, Indiana. Those routes carried the burden when the river bridge closed, especially for heavier traffic that could not afford delays on the interstate. IDOT urged drivers to slow down, follow construction signs and avoid mobile-device distractions in the work zone.

IDOT’s highway program lists the Wabash River bridges as a state engineering project and says Illinois and Indiana are sharing construction engineering costs equally. Even a short overnight closure underscored how much the region depends on the crossing, and how closely routine inspection work now runs alongside one of the most significant bridge replacement projects in southern Indiana and southeastern Illinois.