Chicago River Bridge Lifts To Start This Weekend As 2015 Boating Season Winds Down

September 17, 2015

CDOT Announces 27 Bridges to be Lifted in Sequence Twice a Week from LSD to Ashland

Mike Claffey    312.744.0707

Michael.claffey@cityofchicago.org

The City of Chicago will begin lifting the movable bridges over the Chicago River this Saturday to allow for recreational boat traffic to make the annual trip from the wide open waters of Lake Michigan to boat storage yards along the South Branch of the Chicago River.

Each year, in the spring and fall, the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) raises the movable bridges along the main and South Branches of the Chicago River on a twice weekly schedule on most Saturdays and Wednesdays for about eight weeks to accommodate the movement of recreational sail boats traveling to and from their storage yards.

“As summer comes to a close, CDOT is preparing to facilitate the annual rite of passage that allows sailors to move their boats from the Lake to their winter storage yards,” said CDOT Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld, who also serves as Chicago’s Harbor Master and has jurisdiction over the city’s waterways. “CDOT has worked with local boat storage yards to create a schedule that accommodates boats while minimizing the impact on downtown street traffic.”

During these “boat runs,” the bridges are raised sequentially, typically one at a time. Each bridge lift takes an average of 8-12 minutes. A total of 27 bridges will be lifted in succession from Lake Shore Drive to Ashland Avenue Bridge on the South Branch of the Chicago River.

The Fall 2015 bridge lift schedule is as follows:

  • Saturday, Sept. 19th at 9 am
  • Wednesday, Sept. 23rd at 9:30 am 
  • Wednesday, Sept. 30th at 9:30 am
  • Saturday, Oct. 3rd at 9 am
  • Wednesday, Oct. 7th at 9:30 am
  • Saturday, Oct. 10th at 9 am
  • Wednesday, Oct. 14th at 9:30 am
  • Saturday, Oct. 17th at 9 am
  • Wednesday, Oct. 21st at 9:30 am
  • Saturday, Oct. 24th at 9 am
  • Wednesday, Oct. 28th at 9:30 am
  • Saturday, Oct. 31st at 9 am
  • Wednesday, Nov. 4th at 9:30 am
  • Saturday, Nov. 7th at 9 am
  • Saturday, Nov. 14th at 9 am

You can follow CDOT on digital media:

Twitter: @ChicagoDOT
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CDOTNews
The web: chicagodot.org

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