The bridge consists of a series of Pennsylvania through truss spans that reach from high ground on the west side of the river to the levee on the east side of the river. The trusses include 6 that are fixed in size, the larger lift span, and then a somewhat shorter fixed truss between the lift span and the western shore. It is rare to have a lift bridge for vehicle traffic since cars can climb slopes that a train would find impossible to climb. In the case of the Illinois River, the first two automobile bridges, the Joe Page Bridge and the Florence Bridge just upstream are both automobile lift bridges. In the case of the Joe Page Bridge, the bluffs are located so close to the west end of the bridge that there is no room to land a high bridge, so a low bridge with a lift span was the only option.
This 1931 era bridge was rehabilitated between March 2003 and December 2004. The most noticeable change is that the bridge was repainted to a very bright green color. One of the challenging parts of the construction was replacing the lift cables and pulleys. This required that the bridge remain in the down position for 23 days in August and September of 2003. Barge traffic continued to flow by using tow boats to hand barges off under the lowered lift span of the bridge.
The bridge is named after Joe Page (1845-1938) was a famous local resident. He served in the Union Army during the Civil War, was editor of the local newspaper, worked as an architect and engineer, served as mayor of Jerseyville, and was supervisor of the construction of the bridge that now carries his name.
