Monroe Street Bridge to close Wednesday for testing

The Monroe Street Bridge over the Chicago River will be closed on Wednesday for testing prior to the start of spring boating season.

The bridge will be closed from 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., according to a statement from the Chicago Department of Transportation.

As a detour, CDOT recommends drivers traveling eastbound on Monroe should turn south on Clinton, east on Adams and north on Franklin before returning to Monroe.

The Monroe Street Bridge testing is part of CDOT’s preparation for spring boat season. The department began testing bridges along the river length last month to ensure lifts were in working order.

Every spring and fall, workers raise the movable bridges along the Main and South branches of the river on Saturdays and Wednesdays to accommodate recreational boats traveling to and from the storage yards.

The process is called a “boat run,” and it involves raising all 27 bridges between Ashland and Lake Shore Drive sequentially, usually one at a time. Each bridge lift takes an average of 8-12 minutes.