Business
Fall Bridge Lifts Along Chicago River Begin This Week. Here’s the Full Schedule
(Alexandre Fagundes / iStock)
Commuters who cross the Chicago River in the mornings might experience some delays with the annual return of fall bridge lifts starting Wednesday.
In the fall, bridges along the Main and South branches of the river are lifted to allow sailboats and other recreational boats to move into winter storage facilities. The bridge lifts are scheduled to start Wednesday and run through mid-November, the Chicago Department of Transportation announced earlier this week.
Bridges will be lifted in succession from DuSable Lake Shore Drive to 18th Street, according to CDOT. Bridges are typically raised one at a time, with each bridge lift taking about eight to 12 minutes.
While a bridge is in the upright position, traffic is halted.
The bridge lifts typically occur Wednesdays and Saturdays, with some changes to accommodate ongoing work on the Lake Street Bridge, according to CDOT. Below is the full schedule:
- Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 9:30 a.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 3 at 9 a.m.
- Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 9:30 a.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 10 at 9 a.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 17 at 9 a.m.
- Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 9:30 a.m.
- Thursday, Oct. 29 at 9:30 a.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 31 at 9 a.m.
- Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 9:30 a.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 7 at 9 a.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 14 at 9 a.m.
Drivers may use alternate streets or wait until the bridge is lowered, according to CDOT.
Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]
