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New life could be brought back to the Harmony Way Bridge connecting Indiana and Illinois in New Harmony, Indiana, after a measure passed the U.S. House this week.

The Restore Harmony Way Bridge Act, written by Rep. Larry Bucshon, passed unanimously. It clears the way for Indiana and Illinois to come together to talk about the future of the bridge.

Every House member of the Illinois and Indiana delegations cosponsored the bill. Similar legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind. “The Harmony Way Bridge was a feat of American engineering when it opened, but after decades of use, the bridge was closed in 2012 due to structural concerns," Bucshon, a Republican who represents Indiana's 8th District, said in a statement.

Communities on both sides of the Wabash River in Indiana and Illinois want to see this historic community landmark preserved," Bucshon said. "Unfortunately, the federal law that led to the bridge’s construction has also prevented it from being refurbished and reopened by the states of Indiana and Illinois. Instead, the bridge sits closed and simply sitting in a legal limbo."

The bridge was built in 1930, and the year it was closed it was on Indiana Landmarks top-10 most endangered landmarks. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, but at the time in the Indiana Landmarks report said, "The span is still open, but Harmony Way Bridge faces a far from harmonious future." Stewart Sebree, who at the time was the director of the Indiana Landmarks Southwest Field Office, explained that the bridge's piers and abutments were declared structurally deficient and repairs were estimated at $8.4 million.  After the closure of the Harmony Way Bridge, the nearest alternative way to cross the Wabash was in Mount Vernon, Indiana, and on Interstate 64. The bridge closure came at the same time as the closing of New Harmony School. “Today, we took a step forward in breathing new life into the historic Harmony Way Bridge," Bucshon said in the release. "The Restore Harmony Way Bridge Act will convey the Harmony Way Bridge to the New Harmony Bridge Bi-State Commission established by Indiana and Illinois – allowing the states to have management over the Harmony Way Bridge and write the next chapter for this historic bridge.” The Restore Harmony Way Bridge Act was cosponsored in the House by every member of the Indiana and Illinois delegations and has been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Todd Young (R-IN). Congress created the White County Bridge Commission in 1941 as a joint Illinois-Indiana agency to purchase the bridge from the private company which built it, Big Wabash Bridge Company.  The original plan then was for the commission to offer the bridge to either Illinois or Indiana once outstanding bonds had been retired. Those bonds were paid off in July 1955, but neither state was interested in acquiring the bridge from the commission. The commission continued to own the bridge — no other official body wanted responsibility — but it was closed on May 21, 2012, after an engineer’s inspection revealed the aging bridge was unsafe for traffic. In 2014, the Posey County Commissioners, in a 2-1 decision voted to take ownership of the Harmony Way Bridge, but their commitment did not include the transfer of title protecting Posey County from financial risk, commissioners said at the time. Rep. John Shimkus, a Republican who represents southeastern Illinois, said the federal law creating the White County Bridge Commission has prevented the two states from being able to take advantage of popular ideas to repurpose the bridge since its closing.  "I am happy that the hard work of so many people of both sides of the Wabash is about to come to fruition," said Shimkus, whose district includes the Illinois portion of the bridge. "In particular, I want to thank Congressman Larry Bucshon who authored the legislation, which conveys the structure to a New Harmony Bridge Bi-State Commission established by Illinois and Indiana." The new commission will be tasked with determining the future of the half-mile once toll bridge connecting Illinois Route 14 with Indiana 66, known as Church Street in New Harmony.