Brandon Road bridge reopens on Friday in Joliet after August closing

The Brandon Road bridge reopened Friday.

The drawbridge over the Des Plaines River had been closed since Aug. 22 for repairs of its center lock mechanism.

The bridge is one of two local drawbridges the Illinois Department of Transportation reopened this week after completing repairs.

The Jefferson Street drawbridge downtown was reopened Wednesday after being closed for two months for scheduled repairs of two deteriorated steel girders that support the west leaf of the bridge.

IDOT plans to close the Jefferson Street bridge again sometime in the spring for mechanical repairs.

A spokesman said the need for additional structural steel repairs was identified during the recent work. That work, requiring new materials to be fabricated and delivered, also will be done in the spring.