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Government

Bituminous Demolition Begins in Downtown R.I.

pulling down the first bricks at the former Bituminous Insurance building in downtown Rock Island
WVIK News
pulling down the first bricks at the former Bituminous Insurance building in downtown Rock Island

Work has started to build a new federal courthouse in downtown Rock Island. Thursday demolition began at the former Bituminous Insurance headquarters at 4th Avenue and 18th Street.

Sara Darrow, Chief Judge for US District Court for the Central District of Illinois, says it will replace the courthouse that closed three years ago (2018).

"This building will provide the appropriate setting for the significant proceedings and the serious proceedings that occur in our court. It'll provide a place that promotes respect for the law in our community. It'll provide an environment that inspires civic engagement and gives us meaningful access to justice for the citizens of our community."

Russell Construction says demolition will take about six weeks, and work on the foundation of the new courthouse could begin next March.

Completion is scheduled for 2023.

About 50 people will work in the new federal courthouse, including judges, bailiffs, clerks, prosecutors, and public defenders. Since the former courthouse closed in 2018, they've been sharing space at the federal courthouse in Davenport.

Government
A native of Detroit, Herb Trix began his radio career as a country-western disc jockey in Roswell, New Mexico (“KRSY, your superkicker in the Pecos Valley”), in 1978. After a stint at an oldies station in Topeka, Kansas (imagine getting paid to play “Louie Louie” and “Great Balls of Fire”), he wormed his way into news, first in Topeka, and then in Freeport Illinois.