Joliet bridges: McDonough St. opens, Jefferson St. closes

The McDonough Street bridge will open and the Jefferson Street bridge will close as work continues on remote bridge control in downtown Joliet.

The Illinois Department of Transportation announced this week that the McDonough Street drawbridge over the Des Plaines River will reopen, weather permitting, on Monday.

The Jefferson Street bridge will then be closed until the evening of Feb. 17 to complete final testing of the remote control system installed on that bridge last year, IDOT said.

The McDonough Street bridge was closed in November for the project, which creates a central control location for lifting and lowering the drawbridges in downtown Joliet along with the Brandon Road bridge just outside the city limits.

Motorists should expect delays during the bridge closures, IDOT said.

A detour during the Jefferson Street bridge closure will direct motorists to Raynor Avenue (also U.S. 52) and McDonough Street (also U.S. 52) to cross the river and reconnect with Jefferson Street using Chicago Street (also Illinois Route 53).