Lake Shore Drive Bridge To Close For Maintenance For 7 Hours Beginning At 10 p.m. Thursday
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Lake Shore Drive Bridge over the Chicago River will be closed for seven hours beginning Thursday night for maintenance.
The Chicago Department of Transportation said the Lake Shore Drive Bridge will be fully closed from 10 p.m. Thursday to 5 p.m. Friday as it is raised for testing and maintenance ahead of boat run season.
Traffic will be detoured onto Columbus Drive during those hours. The detour will take northbound drivers from Monroe Drive to Columbus Drive to Illinois Street back to Lake Shore Drive.
Southbound drivers will get off the Drive at Grand Avenue, head west to Columbus Drive, and get back on Lake Shore Drive at Monroe Drive.
Some were speculating that this was a preemptive move in anticipation of possible civil unrest over the release of the video showing the police shooting that killed Adam Toledo, 13. Chicago River bridges were raised during unrest and looting downtown following protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police last May, and again after a round of looting downtown, along the Magnificent Mile, and in other areas in August.
But again, CDOT said this is a maintenance operation that is conducted every spring.
