Des Plaines River Bridge On I-80 Found Structurally ‘Intolerable’
Feb. 13, 2019
By Megan Hickey
CBS Channel 2 News
CHICAGO (CBS)– A day after a cracked beam was discovered in a Lake Shore Drive bridge, CBS 2 investigated another bridge in desperate need of repair.
Last spring, inspectors found the Des Plaines River bridge on I-80 in Joliet in such bad shape, it may need to close.
Several months later, nothing has been done to repair the issues.
More than 42,000 drivers drive across Des Plaines River bridge everyday, and the most recent inspection reports reveal serious safety concerns.
Will Pruitt, a resident who lives near the I-80 bridge, is concerned. After years of noticing cracks and other deterioration, he stopped using the bridge.
“With all the trucks and stuff up there, it could be any minute,” Pruitt said.
Des Plaines Bridges News
Think the shutdown of northbound Lake Shore Drive was bad? Will County bridges are even more alarming.
The discovery of cracks in steel beams along Lake Shore Drive this week raised alarms about other problem bridges.