Tear Down Ruby Street Bridge, Jackson, Cass, Jefferson, McDonough Street Bridges: Joliet Councilman Moreno

Joliet Patch Editor's Note: The following letter was sent on Friday by Joliet City Councilman At-Large Juan Moreno to Governor JB Pritzker. The letter also went Gia Biagi, the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation, and to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the former Republican Congressman from central Wisconsin. Moreno is the same Joliet City Councilman who was targeted last year by Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow for removal from office, but Glasgow lost his seven-month-long fight at the Will County Courthouse back in March.

JOLIET, IL —Dear Governor Pritzker, Secretary Biagi, and Secretary Duffy: I write as an At Large Councilmember for the City of Joliet to express serious concern regarding the
closure of the Ruby Street Bridge on Friday, August 14, 2026. The bridge was closed to vehicular traffic and remained raised overnight while the U.S. Coast Guard worked to clear backed up river traffic following storm related bridge issues earlier that week. Joliet officials and the public did not receive
adequate advance notice before this major transportation disruption.

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I recognize that public safety and safe navigation on the Des Plaines River must come first. However, a decision of this magnitude cannot be carried out without prompt, direct, and coordinated communication with the municipal government and residents most affected. The Ruby Street Bridge is a critical route for workers, families, emergency responders, local businesses, and commuters. Closing it with little
notice worsens congestion on already strained alternate routes and materially affects the quality of life of Joliet residents.

This latest disruption also underscores a larger reality: Joliet cannot continue relying on repeated emergency repairs and temporary rehabilitation of movable bridges that have reached or exceeded their practical service life. IDOT itself has publicly acknowledged that Joliet's drawbridges are past the point when they should have been replaced. Our residents need a permanent solution, not another cycle of failure, closure, repair, and disruption.

Joliet and the surrounding Will County region are home to strong building trades and unions with a large, highly skilled workforce ready to perform this work. Replacing these bridges would not only deliver safer and more reliable infrastructure, but also create quality local jobs, expand apprenticeship
opportunities, and put experienced tradespeople to work on projects that directly benefit their own communities.

Accordingly, I respectfully request the following immediate actions:

1. A written explanation of the events, decisions, and interagency communications that led to the August 14 closure, including when IDOT, the U.S. Coast Guard, and other agencies first knew a closure would be necessary;

2. A clear protocol requiring immediate direct notification to the City Manager, Mayor, City Council, police, fire, emergency management, and city communications staff before any planned closure or as soon as practicable during an emergency;

3. A designated 24 hour point of contact for IDOT and the appropriate federal agency for Joliet bridge operations and emergency closures;

4. Timely public notice through traffic alerts, electronic message boards, media releases, social media, and navigation platforms, with identified detour routes and expected closure duration; and

5. A joint coordination meeting with IDOT, the Governor's Office, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Coast Guard, and City of Joliet leadership to establish a reliable notification and response plan for all movable bridges in Joliet;

6. A formal commitment to demolish and fully replace Joliet's aging downtown movable bridges, including the Ruby, Cass, Jackson, Jefferson, and McDonough Street bridges, rather than continuing to rely primarily on costly temporary repairs and piecemeal rehabilitation.

7. A publicly available bridge replacement program identifying engineering and environmental review, navigation requirements, state and federal funding sources, project sequencing, interim reliability measures, and target dates for design, construction, and completion. The plan should preserve road access while replacements are phased and should evaluate modern designs that reduce mechanical
failures and unnecessary bridge openings wherever feasible.
This request is not about assigning blame. It is about ensuring accountability, improving communication, and ending an unsustainable pattern that imposes recurring delays, economic harm, and serious quality of life consequences on Joliet residents. Public safety and river navigation must be
protected, but Joliet should not be expected to accept indefinite dependence on obsolete infrastructure.
Please provide a written response, identify the appropriate representatives for the requested coordination meeting, and state whether the State of Illinois and Federal Government will support a comprehensive replacement program. I stand ready to work collaboratively to secure the state and federal resources necessary to rebuild these crossings and deliver the reliable transportation system Joliet deserves.

Sincerely,
Juan Moreno
Councilmember At Large
City of Joliet, Illinois
815.724.3129