Is Jefferson Street Bridge Finally Working Again?

JOLIET, IL — For the first time in 20 months, contractors repairing the Jefferson Street Bridge in downtown Joliet are having success. On Wednesday, both spans of the Jefferson Street drawbridge were being raised and lowered at the same time.

The bridge appears to be working just fine. It looks like the Illinois Department of Transportation's latest prediction may be right. Perhaps the Jefferson Street Bridge will be reopened to motorists in February.

"I'm excited about it, to see the bridge finally working," Joliet City Manager Jim Capparelli told Joliet Patch during Wednesday's interview.

On Dec. 7, three Illinois Department of Transportation engineers told the Joliet City Council that the citizens can expect to have the repaired Jefferson Street back in operation "by the end of the first week or second week in January."

But when mid-January arrived, IDOT announced that a more realistic date for the Jefferson Street Bridge's re-opening is the middle of February.

On Wednesday, Joliet Patch asked Capparelli if he would be willing to be the first person to attempt to cross the bridge, which has been broken since June 1, 2020.

"Yes, I would be," Capparelli answered without hesitation. "I would be willing to walk, bike or drive over the Jefferson Street Bridge."

On Jan. 12, Joliet Patch published an opinion column headlined, "If Bridge Ever Opens, Here's Why Joliet Must Throw Parade."