On May 1, the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) will begin work on the reconstruction of the Van Buren Bridge over the Chicago River, a major downtown travel connection to and from the Loop.

“Critical infrastructure upgrades like this must be made to strengthen our neighborhoods,” said CDOT Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld. “A restored Van Buren bridge will provide improved access to the Loop, the commercial center of Chicago’s economy.”

The 57-year-old movable bascule bridge, which was built in 1956, will be restored with a new roadway deck; repaired girders, floor beams and lateral bracing.

The $2.5 million project will be performed by CDOT staff. The project is funded through the Chicago tax increment financing (TIF) program, and is part of Building a New Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s infrastructure renewal program.

The construction will require a full closure of the roadway from May 1 to January 7, 2015. The two sidewalks will remain open to pedestrians throughout the construction project. During the construction, all automobile traffic will be detoured south on Wacker Drive to Harrison Street, west on Harrison to Canal Street, north on Canal to Van Buren. Bicycles should use the bike lane on Madison Street as an alternate route.

Only southbound CTA buses operating along the #37 Sedgwick route will be detoured from Van Buren and travel north on Wacker Drive to Adams Street, west on Adams to Clinton and resume normal routing south of Van Buren. Northbound routing for the #37 route will not be affected.

To accommodate the change in southbound routing, #37 buses will also begin serving two new temporary bus stops added along the detoured bus route:

• Nearside stop westbound on Adams at Canal, and
• Nearside stop southbound on Clinton at Jackson.

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