'Joliet Deserves Better: Fix Our Bridges!' Change.Org Petition Drive Underway Needs Your Support

JOLIET, IL — Joliet's Route 30 Cass Street Bridge next the Harrah's Casino has been closed for almost a year and a half and who knows if and when it will actually operate again. Meanwhile, barge traffic is flowing up and down the Des Plaines River like never before and every time that happens, thousands of Joliet motorists must suffer and wait inside their vehicle for 10 to 20 minutes, often much longer, as Joliet's drawbridges to go up and down and then wait for traffic to get moving again.

Joliet's City Hall has told people it's not their fault, they don't manage or oversee the drawbridges. These ancient structures — which were built long before the dinosaurs roamed the swamps and walked this earth —are the responsibility of the Illinois Department of Transportation.

With more and more Joliet residents fed up with the worsening saga involving Joliet's downtown drawbridges, one resident is taking up the crusade to implement changes all by herself.

She's started a petition on that world-famous website, Change.Org. Her petition is now active as of this week and you can see it and sign it. The petition is called "Joliet Deserves Better: Fix Our Bridges!"

"Sign this petition to demand meaningful improvements to Joliet’s six drawbridges. Joliet residents should not have to accept prolonged infrastructure disruptions without clear explanations, reasonable timelines, and meaningful efforts to reduce their impact," the Change.Org petition reads. "We recognize the importance of commercial navigation along the Des Plaines River. This petition does not seek to eliminate river access. It calls for a fairer balance between navigation needs and the safety, mobility, and daily lives of the people who depend on Joliet’s bridges.

"We urge the U.S. Coast Guard, IDOT, and the City of Joliet to review these concerns, publicly respond to the requested improvements, and develop a coordinated plan for more reliable and transparent bridge operations. Joliet deserves better infrastructure management, better communication, and greater accountability."

The petition-drive organizer said they are calling on the Illinois Department of Transportation, the U.S. Coast Guard and the City of Joliet to work together to address the following issues:

1. Extend Rush-Hour Opening Restrictions

Review and extend existing drawbridge operating restrictions to prevent routine openings during weekday peak commuting periods, preferably from 7 and 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m., while preserving legally required exceptions for emergencies and essential navigation."

2. Improve Bridge Maintenance and Reliability

3. Demand Accountability for Extended Closures

4. Make Bridge Operations Publicly Accessible

5. Address Traffic Congestion and Emergency Access

6. Improve Coordination of Bridge Operations

7. Require Public Communication and Oversight

To read the full "Joliet Deserves Better: Fix Our Bridges!" petition, visit the Change.Org website site.