Downtown Joliet bridge closures start April 20

The state plans to start a series of closures of the downtown Joliet drawbridges starting this month to install cable for a central control system.

The closures will begin with the Jackson Street bridge on April 20, weather permitting, and continue through May.

Aerial cables will be installed on four bridges over the Des Plaines River.

The following closure schedule is planned.

• Jackson Street bridge from April 20 to April 24;

• Cass Street bridge from May 11 to May 15;

• Jefferson Street bridge from May 18 to May 22;

• McDonough Street bridge from May 26 from to May 29.

"The work is part of an ongoing project to upgrade the movable bridges to be controlled from a central control office, creating a more efficient system of lifting and lowering the bridges and increasing safety for pedestrians, motorists and marine traffic," the Illinois Department of Transportation said in a news release on Monday.

The installation of fiber optic cable on the bridges began in 2019, IDOT said.

The entire project is expected to be completed late this year.

Bridge tenders will operate from the central office at the Jackson Street bridge instead of at the individual bridges when the project is completed.