Movable bridges along the Chicago River will be lifted twice a week starting Saturday, Sept. 20 to accommodate recreational boats returning to their storage yards as the summer boating season comes to an end.
Tht "boat runs" begin at 9 a.m. Saturdays and 9:30 a.m. Wednesdays through Nov. 15. Bridges will be raised sequentially, one at a time, from Lake Shore Drive to Ashland Avenue on the river’s South Branch, according to a statement from the Chicago Department of Transportation.
"The lifting of Chicago’s iconic movable river bridges every fall marks the closing of the boating season," CDOT Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld said in the statement. "The City coordinates with local boat storage yards each year to create a schedule that accommodates boats while creating the least amount of impact on downtown street traffic."
Each bridge lift takes an average of eight to 12 minutes.
