LOWELL | With spending tight as ever, members of the Kankakee River Basin Commission joined Lake County officials in their frustration last week over the roadblocks that continue to keep what is locally known as the Stateline Bridge up but closed.

Jody Melton, the commission's director, said the bridge sits low to the surface of the river and regularly collects debris, creating the potential for ice jams and flooding. Finding the dollars to pay for removing debris isn't easy, Melton said.

"Maybe we should just let it fall in," he said.

Keven Breitzke, commission treasurer, said, "We're spending tens of thousands of dollars to keep the bridge cleared to keep the river flowing. We save the bridge to save the river."

Though some consider it historically significant, the iron truss bridge is a source of frustration for Lake County Highway Superintendent Mark Malczewski, who said the county already has spent $110,300 in design work for replacing the bridge, but the project remains stalled.

He said 650,000 people "say they want the bridge replaced, but a few people stop it. They put up roadblocks. It's amazing."

Jerry Gunth, of Jasper County, said he can't understand why the commission can't get funding when $19 million is going to trails in Indiana.

"North Judson is getting $450,000 for enhancing trails," he said, telling Malczewski that "maybe you should have a trail to run alongside the bridge. It could help you."

A report from a representative of RW Armstrong -- on the county's effort to get through the National Historic Preservation Act process -- offered little hope.

Beyond a resolution the commission passed earlier and the group's continued public support, Malczewski said there's little officials can do.

Besides historic preservationists, environmentalists also have weighed in favor of keeping the bridge where it is without any rehabilitation.

Lake County faces similar issues on the Clay Street bridge that crosses the Kankakee River at the Grand Kankakee Marsh County Park.