Eric Ray, area construction supervisor for the Illinois Department of Transportation, told the Joliet City Council yesterday that the state is struggling to maintain downtown drawbridges in the city that “should have been replaced.”
He stated that the reopening of the Cass Street bridge will be pushed back to at least late summer 2027 and reopening the Brandon Road bridge will likely also be pushed back.
Replacing the bridges, however, poses other problems because of the costs. Mayor D’Arcy pointed out that heavy trucks going over the bridges as a likely cause of repeated repairs. Saying:…