ROCKDALE, IL — When some bridges fail, it takes a little while, maybe a long time, to get them fixed. The Brandon Road Bridge between Joliet and Rockdale has been shut down since Sept. 14, 2023 as the result of a mechanical failure, but the bridge will be available for use any moment now, Joliet Patch learned Friday afternoon after visiting the site.
So far, however, the Illinois Department of Transportation has not yet issued its updated press release revealing that the Brandon Road Bridge has actually reopened, but it's coming, believe me, it's coming.
Last November, the Illinois Department of Transportation announced that the project to repair the Brandon Road Bridge over the Des Plaines River in Joliet would continue into 2026 as additional time was needed to complete the work.
"The moveable bridges in Joliet are nearly a century old, with unique parts and maintenance needs," announced IDOT Region 1 Engineer Jose Rios nearly a year ago. "We appreciate your continued patience as we deliver this project as safe and efficiently as possible."
The majority of the project was anticipated to be completed and the bridge reopened next summer, IDOT said last November.
The bridge initially closed in September 2023 to refurbish the motors and mechanical components. While construction was underway, the need for unforeseen additional repairs were discovered, including the replacement of all four motors and aerial cables that require custom-made fabrication.
The $3.4 million project is repairing the deck, joints and brakes on the 93-year-old bridge, replacing various mechanical components, locks and structural steel. Additionally, as part of upgrading the downtown Joliet movable bridges to allow them to be controlled from a central location, new control systems are being installed, along with various other upgrades, according to IDOT.
There was also one tragedy while the Brandon Road Bridge has been out of service.
In July 2024, a car belonging to missing Chicago pastor Rev. Warren Beard was found in 8-foot-deep murky Des Plaines River water, and Will County Coroner Laurie Summers appeared at the news conference to confirm that the body found in the driver's seat was positively identified as the 53-year-old church pastor.
Beard was pronounced dead inside his submerged car at 6:20 p.m. His car and his body were discovered in the Des Plaines River about 150 yards west of the Brandon Road Bridge in Rockdale, in proximity to the Brandon Road Locks and Dam, which is overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Beard, assistant pastor at New Israelite Missionary Baptist Church, was last seen about 9 p.m., Tuesday, July 2, in Joliet in the 400 block of North Broadway Street.
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