Chicago fall bridge lifts start Wednesday; Lake Shore Drive lifts could take 45 minutes

Fall bridge lifts were scheduled to start Wednesday on the Chicago River’s main and south branches, with raising and lower the Lake Shore Drive Bridge taking possibly much longer than usual because of construction, according to the city.

Bridge lifts will start around 9:30 a.m. every Wednesday and about 9 a.m. every Saturday through Nov. 14 and move west and south to give sailboats and other large boats to move inland from Lake Michigan to where they’re stored for the winter, according to a release from the city’s Department of Transportation.

Lifts typically take 8 to 12 minutes, but raising and lowering the Lake Shore Drive Bridge may include “longer than usual delays,” up to 45 minutes, because of construction work on the bridge, according to the release.

“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,” according to the release.

If no boat owners have arranged to move their vessels on a given day, the bridges won’t be lifted.

For more information on the bridge lifts and schedule, as well a streets affected by the closures, check CDOT’s website.

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