Brandon Road bridge in Joliet Township closed until late 2024

The Brandon Road bridge in Joliet Township has been shut down until late 2024 for a $3.4 million maintenance and repair project.

The drawbridge over the Des Plaines River has had repeated mechanical problems for several years and malfunctioned again Thursday, a couple of weeks ahead of the planned maintenance project.

The Illinois Department of Transportation announced that the bridge will remain closed until the completion of the project, which is expected in late 2024.

“The $3.4 million project includes repairing the bridge deck, joints and brakes, [and] replacing mechanical components and structural steel,” IDOT said in a news release. “Additionally, as part of upgrading the downtown movable bridges to allow them to be controlled from a central location, new aerial cables and [a] control system will be installed, along with various tender house upgrades.”

The Brandon Road bridge is one of six drawbridges over the Des Plaines River in the Joliet area. The other five are in downtown Joliet and also have been closed periodically so they can be upgraded for the central-control project that will move tenders from the bridges to one location in Joliet from which the bridges will be operated remotely.

A detour during the Brandon Road bridge closure will direct motorists to the McDonough Street bridge in Joliet.