SCHAUMBURG, IL -- The Ruby Street Bridge in downtown Joliet is scheduled to open by the morning of July 31, weather permitting.
The bridge has been closed for a rehabilitation project since the fall of 2002 and was scheduled to open on July 1, but in late June additional repairs were found to be needed.

For the past month, IDOT and its contractor have been working diligently to evaluate the situation and to provide interim repairs so that the bridge could open safely for vehicle traffic without doing further damage to the structure or its mechanical operation.

More extensive repairs are needed to provide a permanent fix and will require the bridge to close again for that work to be performed. Presently, the department will continue to assess the operation of the bridge and will prepare the necessary design plans. Fabrication of needed parts is not likely to begin until 2004. The repair work is planned for 2005.