A DuSable Lake Shore Drive bridge at Grand Avenue near Navy Pier is now restored after getting stuck slightly upright Wednesday morning, causing delays and backups for cars on the major Chicago highway.
The bridge malfunctioned and failed to close properly after it was raised for a scheduled lift around 10 a.m., according to Erica Schroeder, spokesperson for the Chicago Department of Transportation. No one was injured.
The bridge was fully closed again and reopened to traffic around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Schroeder said.
The ongoing early September heat wave caused the bridge to swell in the heat as it was raised. It got stuck after a boat passed through for a scheduled lift, according to Schroeder.
“Given the high temperatures, it’s not totally uncommon,” Schroeder said. “Our scheduled bridge lifts happen in the spring and fall when temperatures are normally more mild.”
Typically, a bridge lift lasts just from eight to 12 minutes, according to CDOT. This spring, 27 bridges from Ashland Avenue Bridge on the South Branch to DuSable Lake Shore Drive were lifted twice a week. CDOT had not published a fall bridge lift schedule.
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People scamper west across the lower level of the DuSable Lake Shore Drive bridge over the Chicago River on Sept. 2, 2026, as water pumped by a Chicago Fire Department boat flows down onto the double-leaf, double-deck, fixed counterweight bridge. Automobile traffic was halted earlier in the day when the bridge became stuck. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
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People scamper west across the lower level of the DuSable Lake Shore Drive bridge over the Chicago River on Sept. 2, 2026, as water pumped by a Chicago Fire Department boat flows down onto the double-leaf, double-deck, fixed counterweight bridge. Automobile traffic was halted earlier in the day when the bridge became stuck. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
A heat advisory is in effect for most of the day Wednesday, as “feels like” temperatures of as high as 105 sweep through Chicago, according to the National Weather Service. The heat advisory is in effect until 9 p.m. Wednesday.
Chicago temperatures are expected to remain in the 90s on Thursday; however, the heat should slightly lessen on Friday and into Labor Day Weekend, according to Mark Ratzer, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Chicago office. There is a chance for thunderstorms, some severe, on Thursday and Friday.
Temperatures are expected to dip and stay below 90 degrees beginning on Friday, Ratzer said.
To reduce the bridge’s swelling, the Chicago Fire Department showered the structure with a massive stream of water to cool it off. Videos of the incident are circulating on social media, showing a CFD boat blasting water towards the sweltering bridge.