Repairs to the historic Ruby Street Bridge that carried Route 66 over the Des Plaines River in Joliet, Ill., will be completed by the Thanksgiving holiday, reported the Romeoville Patch news site.
The Patch, talking to an Illinois Department of Transportation engineer, said:
The bridge closed in mid-July, and it was expected the work would take four months. It’s a difficult project, in part because of the structure’s age.
“They are just the most complicated projects you can work on as a road engineer,” Klassey said. “It’s like, it’s almost like a watch.”
According to HistoricBridges.org, the drawbridge was built in 1935 and rehabbed in 1972. An earlier report said the repairs would cost $2.12 million.
Route 66 expert John Weiss provided directions for detour while the bridge was being worked on this summer.
On a related note, the Joliet Patch reports that an illuminated Route 66 interactive sign will be installed in downtown Joliet, mostly likely along Ottawa Street, near the Joliet Area Historical Museum and Route 66 Welcome Center.