Western Bridge Rebuild Back on Track

The rebuild of the South Western Avenue bridge over the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal is on track to start after a nearly two-year delay.

The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) announced that the bridge rebuild will now begin in fall 2026, restarting the project after attempted Tax Increment Financing (TIF) expansion in the Pilsen neighborhood was not approved by the Chicago City Council.

12th Ward Alderwoman Julia Ramirez is pushing for Western bridge fixes to start sooner than this fall, she said. An extension to the TIF district covering the repairs must first be approved by the city council.

Summer Council Vote

A graphic from CDOT shows a cutaway of the existing and future traffic patterns for the Western bridge.“That matter should come up for a vote at the June or July council meeting,” Ramirez said.

Reconstruction was supposed to begin in late fall 2024 on the South Western Boulevard portion of the bridge, which brings two-way traffic for both boulevard and avenue over the canal in eight car lanes and two bike lanes.

Pilsen TIF Expansion

Funding to fix the bridge was originally planned to originate from an expansion of the Pilsen TIF district championed by 25th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez, but voted down by the city council.

As previously reported, the project will span three six-month phases over a total of 18 months, repairing both the boulevard and avenue sides of the bridges.

Shifting Traffic

A plaque on the South Western Avenue bridge over the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal details the deteriorating structure's history.One already-completed element of the project is repaving South Western Avenue on the north and south ends of the bridge.

The historic Art Deco structure dates to 1939, with enhancements and fixes conducted in the 1940s and 1990s.

Over the course of the reconstruction project, traffic will shift to share the avenue or boulevard during roadwork on the other half of the bridge.