Princeton’s Red Covered Bridge heavily damaged by semi-trailer

Princeton’s iconic Red Covered Bridge, located 1.5 miles north of the city off Route 26, sustained heavy damage Thursday morning as the driver of a semitrailer truck tried to pass through it.

The semi driver tried to pass north to south and caused damage to both the historic structure and the semi itself. Portions of the trailer were ripped off after becoming stuck in the top of the covered bridge.

Structural damage occurred on much of the 149-foot bridge that was built in 1863. Illinois Department of Transportation workers at the scene indicated work will be needed to return the bridge to working order.

The one-lane bridge, with a posted 5-ton weight limit, previously was damaged from a semi in April 2021 and was repaired in August the same year.

The structure crosses Big Bureau Creek and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It will be closed to traffic until further notice.

More photos of the incident are available here.

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A view of the damage looking south at the Red Covered Bridge on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023 in Princeton. Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Police and Bureau County law enforcement surveyed the damage bridge after it was struck by a semi-truck. (Scott Anderson)