Mayor Says Long Term Solution Needed for Downtown Bridges

Jefferson Street Bridge/ss

Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk says the city is currently talking with the Illinois Department of Transportation to try and find a solution to the closure of the Jefferson Street bridge. The U.S. 30 bridge over the Des Plaines River in Joliet closed in June of 2020 with an expected completion date in August. The bridge work was then supposed to be completed by the end of 2020, then the Illinois Department of Transportation said the bridge would reopen in April of 2021. Earlier this month the city learned the bridge reopening had been pushed back to October of 2021.

Mayor O’Dekirk tells WJOL that the city is hoping that IDOT will open Cass in either direction as a way of helping alleviate traffic in the area. He also acknowledge that this would only be a short term solution as it’s only a matter of time before another bridge downtown is closed for long term work.

Joliet City Manager Jim Capparelli is asking residents to contact their state reps to put pressure on IDOT.