Pictures 2-4 through 2-7.
The Champaign Park District eventually acquired the deteriorated
bridge and the land around it, and created a mini-park on the site, centered on the
bridge. Volunteer stonemasons rebuilt the crumbling bridge. Unfortunately,
they took a few minor liberties with its design. As these pictures show, the
rebuilt bridge has a much higher crown than it had before. In fact, the crown
is now too high to have been practical for the use of horse cars. Still, the
bridge was saved in something close to its original form. As can be seen
in the second of these four pictures, a concrete stair was built, with safety
railings, so that a visitor could gain a view of the interior of the bridge.
The two top pictures look toward the north and northeast; the third picture looks
northwest, approximately along the line of the original right-or-way; and the bottom
picture looks toward the south. — Photos by the author
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