Chicago’s river bridges, which have been raised several times in the past two weeks to limit downtown access during civil unrest, will be raised again Wednesday morning for a more ordinary reason — sailboats going to the lake.
The Chicago Department of Transportation said it will raise river bridges for 10 sailboats Wednesday morning starting at about 9:30 a.m., from South Ashland Avenue to Lake Shore Drive.
Bridge lifts also can be expected each Saturday, starting at 8 a.m., and Wednesday, starting at 9:30 a.m., until further notice, the transportation department said.
There was also a boat run Saturday, but most bridges were raised anyway for crowd control during massive demonstrations in response to the death of George Floyd, said Chicago Department of Transportation spokesman Michael Claffey. Wednesday’s bridge lift is just for boats.
The bridge-lifting ritual, which typically runs twice weekly from mid-April to June and again from September to November when boats go back into storage yards, is an occasion for sightseers to take photographs, and for drivers to pound the steering wheel when they get stuck waiting for bridges to close.
But this year, harbors have been closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Boat owners are being allowed to bring their boats to their slips to “stage” while waiting for harbors open, according to the website of Chicago Harbors, which has 10 harbors along the lakefront.
The harbors are not yet open, said Michele Lemons, a spokeswoman for the Chicago Park District.
Each lift takes about eight to 12 minutes, with the exception of the Lake Shore Drive Bridge, which could take up to 30 minutes because of construction work.