RICHMOND – Demolition of the Hill Road bridge and construction of a new one is set to begin, more than a year after the state shut the bridge.

Lakes and Rivers Contracting of Lemont will start work in mid-February and continue through summer, said Wally Dittrich, design manager for McHenry County’s Division of Transportation. Exact dates are dependent on weather.

The state in a routine inspection discovered that some structural elements had failed and on Jan. 1, 2012, closed the bridge, which crosses the north branch of Nippersink Creek, Dittrich said. The bridge was built in 1958, according to county documents. Richmond Township owns the bridge and the Illinois Department of Transportation is handling the replacement. The project originally was scheduled for last fall, but when the bid wasn’t awarded by a state deadline, it had to be rebid, Dittrich said.