DuSable Lake Shore Drive bridge over Chicago River reopens after heat malfunction, hourslong traffic jam
A major traffic jam snarled DuSable Lake Shore Drive downtown for hours as the bridge over the Chicago River was stuck in the up position.
The bridge, which is right by Navy Pier, lifted around 10 a.m. for the first of two scheduled bridge lifts Wednesday. The bridge lifts are standard on Wednesdays in the summer, allowing boats to come from Lake Michigan onto the Chicago River. The 10 a.m. lift was to let in the Spirit of Chicago cruise ship, according to the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
But when it was time for the bridge to come back down, it didn't. Not all the way, at least. There was a gap of about a foot.
The Chicago Department of Transportation said the bridge experienced a heat-related issue that prevented it from fully closing. For hours, crews examined the pavement, and tried cooling it down by hosing it with water from boats on the river below.
Another bridge lift was scheduled for 12:15 p.m., and CBS Skywatch was over the scene as the bridge did indeed raise on time. Soon after, officials were testing the bridge opening and closing successfully, but it did not yet reopen to traffic.
The Office of Emergency Management and Communications confirmed DuSable Lake Shore Drive was finally back open at 2:30 p.m., four and a half hours after the initial bridge lift.
The ordeal left drivers stuck and, in many cases, confused.
"I was stuck up there a whole hour, since 10:30," said driver Ronald Smith.
"They said something about the bridge is up, they can't get it down," said Gail Davis, driver. "I don't know what's going on."
Infectious disease doctor Tahseen Siddiqui said his 40-minute wait created a domino effect.
"It's bad because my patients have been waiting, and calling, and rescheduling," he said. "I've been talking to my staff to reschedule."
Traffic was eventually fully rerouted off of DuSable Lake Shore Drive and the stuck motorists directed to moving streets and alternate routes.
So what exactly happened?
"It's a thermal expansive problem. Bridges expand in summers and contract in winter," said Dr. Didem Ozevin, civil engineering professor at University of Illinois Chicago. "It is more like an accumulation of multiple factors, in my opinion, because we have hot days in other times during the summer. It is a function of how long the bridge is exposed to the heat."
Ozevin also said this is obviously a very old bridge, which also plays a role in the issue, and the city does not have up-to-date sensors that might give officials a better read as to when adjustments need to be made or when parts are just not aligning properly.
