Des Plaines River

Joliet and state officials on Wednesday celebrated park improvements funded through state grants made available along Route 66 ahead of the historic highway’s 100th anniversary year in 2026.

The Ruby Street bridge in downtown Joliet will remain open until further notice, the Illinois Department of Transportation said Monday.

Ruby Street bridge in downtown Joliet will close Monday for repairs and upgrades. The improvements are part of converting the Joliet drawbridges over the Des Plaines River to a centralized bridge tender system.

The Joliet Communications Center received calls on Aug. 12 of two people who had fallen into the river near Bicentennial Park, 201 W. Jefferson St. Residents on the scene assisted in the rescue, according to Joliet police.

At a public safety forum on Wednesday, Joliet's police chief said their investigation into deaths of bodies recovered from the Des Plaines River has not uncovered any evidence of foul play.

The work is anticipated to be completed by 5 a.m. Wednesday, according to a news release from the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Conditions on the Kankakee River improved Saturday as the threat of flooding continued to go down as temperatures stayed up.

A body recovered from the Des Plaines River on Monday evening was identified as a Joliet man.

The Joliet Fire Department dive team searched Sunday for a possible body in the Des Plaines River

The Des Plaines River was the scene of another rescue operation Saturday when Riverside firefighters removed a kayaker who was stuck on a tree branch in the river after the kayak capsized.

The body of a Crest Hill man was recovered from the Des Plaines River, according to the Will County Coroner’s Office.

A 24-year-old Countryside man remains in critical condition at MacNeal Hospital after he reportedly lost control of his pickup truck and drove it into the Des Plaines River, according to a Riverside Police Department news release.

A man and woman from Lombard swam to safety March 29 after the canoe they were paddling tipped and sunk in the Des Plaines River.

Joliet police are investigating the death of a 17-year-old who disappeared in November and was found floating this weekend in the Des Plaines River

A candlelight vigil will be held Wednesday night for a 16-year-old girl who went missing early Sunday morning before her body was recovered from the Des Plaines River Tuesday night, according to authorities

Joliet is moving forward with plans to build a multimillion-dollar levee downtown to meet federal safeguards against potential flooding from the Des Plaines River.