North of Mahomet, 2600 North, east off US 47 North

The Hazen Bridge is an iron Pratt through-truss structure, and its unique western approach elevates it far above the flood zone. Named for area farmer Horace Hazen, the bridge was built in 1893 at a cost of $4,895 by the Seevers Manufacturing Company. The bridge was listed on the National Register on May 6, 1994, but PACA’s involvement began more than six years earlier. In 1988, Champaign County began planning to demolish the Hazen Bridge and replace it with a modern concrete structure. At that time, local resident Duane Foster began trying to save the bridge. He and his wife Teresa put up cardboard signs saying “Preserve the Past: Save this Bridge,” and generated a story in The News-Gazette. Despite the newspaper’s opinion that “it’s doubtful that one of the last three iron truss bridges in the county – and the longest—will be saved,” PACA embraced the idea of saving the structure, and in 1991, under the leadership of board member Hank Kaczmarski, the organization eventually entered into an agreement with Newcomb Township to take possession of the Hazen Bridge once the new bridge was complete. A generous donation from Jack and Marjorie Richmond of five acres of land surrounding the bridge made the transfer possible, but it took until 1993 for PACA to officially own the structure. In order to save the Hazen Bridge, the west approach needed to be redesigned, and this proved to be a sticking point with local officials. In the end, PACA donated $7,000 of the total $35,000 required to change the right of way, thus keeping the bridge accessible to pedestrian traffic. In the summer of 2001, at a ceremony attended by the Richmonds, PACA installed a historic marker at the bridge. PACA ultimate goal is donate the bridge and land to an environmental – orientated non-profit, which will have better resources to develop the area, perhaps as part of canoeing or walking trail along the Sangamon River.