Jefferson St. bridge in Joliet to stay closed 6-8 weeks

The Jefferson Street bridge downtown could stay closed for nearly two months, Joliet officials said Tuesday.

The city is asking the Illinois Department of Transportation to consider limiting barge traffic for an extended period during the day to soften the impact of the closed bridge with repairs expected to take six to eight weeks.

IDOT maintains and operates the downtown drawbridges over the Des Plaines River.

Public Works Director Greg Ruddy gave the City Council a bridge update at a council meeting Tuesday night after what he called “a rather lengthy discussion” with IDOT officials earlier in the day.

The Jefferson Street bridge has been shut down since May 14, when an electrical short blew out one of two motors used to raise and lower the bridge.

IDOT currently believes it will take six to eight weeks to complete repairs and reopen the Jefferson Street bridge, Ruddy said.

“They did discuss other options to possibly open it sooner,” Ruddy said.

But Ruddy noted that repairing the drawbridges can be complicated and there was no assurance the timetable could be sped up.

In the meantime, the city is asking IDOT to extend the two periods of the day when the downtown drawbridges stay down for automobile traffic and barges are not allowed through.

The bridges stay down for the hours of 7:30-8:30 a.m. and 4:15-5:15 p.m. They otherwise are raised throughout the day, stopping traffic as barges move through downtown.

“We’re on top of it and working to try to extend those hours,” City Manager Beth Beatty said.

Those hours are set by the U.S. Coast Guard.

“The city requested IDOT to have a discussion with the Coast Guard, and they were already having those discussions to extend the hours to allow more traffic over the bridges,” Ruddy said.

The Jefferson Street bridge carries eastbound U.S. 30 over the Des Plaines River and is one of the main entryways into downtown Joliet.

Its closure comes at a time when the Cass Street bridge, which carries westbound U.S. 30 over the river, has been reduced to one lane because it needs repairs.

The Jefferson Street bridge closure also complicates traffic problems on other routes leading into downtown. Long sections of Broadway Street and Plainfield Road are currently under construction.

Resident Chris Knight suggested to the council that the city assign more police to traffic control to move traffic through the congested areas,

“It takes a half-hour to get from one side of the city to the other side of the city,” Knight said.

Councilman Joe Clement suggested to Beatty that the current work being done on a comprehensive plan for the city include an alternative to the 1930 drawbridges that frequently are under repair.

“We have to start a plan,” Clement said.