The temporary Chicago Avenue bridge over the Chicago River is gone, and River West now has a front-row seat to one of the city’s messiest construction zones. The raised Chicago–Halsted viaduct is in pieces, the intersection is thick with barricades and heavy machinery, and drivers, cyclists, and transit riders are staring down a long stretch of detours that will last through much of 2026 while the city rebuilds the bridge and viaduct.
Bridge Comes Down, Cameras Rolling
On-site photos show the former temporary span has been dismantled, and crews are carving into the riverbanks to make way for a permanent replacement, as reported by Chicago YIMBY. Photographer Daniel Schell’s images capture a dramatic gap where traffic once rolled across the river, turning a familiar crossing into a construction crater.
Closures Stick Around Most Of 2026
The Chicago Department of Transportation has shut down Halsted Street at Chicago Avenue and squeezed Chicago Avenue into fewer lanes to speed up the job. Those closures, detours, and bus reroutes are expected to stay in place through the end of 2026, according to Block Club Chicago. CDOT’s strategy is to rip off the Band-Aid with full closures to shorten the overall schedule, but that also means a long, grinding stretch of traffic headaches while workers replace the viaduct and related signals.
Bridge Is Bally’s Golden Ticket
City officials and Bally’s leadership have repeatedly stressed that the rebuilt Chicago Avenue bridge is a key front door for the River West casino complex. Bally’s project leaders told aldermen they still plan to hit substantial completion by the end of the year, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times. At the same time, CDOT officials have told city lawmakers they expect the combined Halsted and Chicago Avenue work to wrap by December 2026, a timeline that developers, neighbors, and local businesses are watching very closely.
Nearby Towers Keep The Pressure On
The bridge work is not happening in a vacuum. A foundation permit for the first phase of Halsted Pointe at 931 N. Halsted was issued in November, and a full building permit for the first tower cleared the city’s data portal in January, signaling that vertical construction is likely to start soon, according to Chicago YIMBY. Between the coming Onni Group tower and the Bally’s buildout, the river bend is turning into a construction hotspot, which only adds to traffic, staging challenges, and logistical juggling for crews in the area.
Detours, Reroutes And Massive Scope
CDOT has rolled out signed detours for drivers and shifted bus routes around the construction zone, and transit officials are urging riders to check for frequent updates to routing as patterns keep changing, per CBS Chicago. City procurement records show the work was advertised as the “Chicago Avenue River Bridge and Chicago Avenue/Halsted Street Viaduct” project, reflecting a multi-million-dollar contract and formal municipal oversight, according to City of Chicago procurement records.
What Comes Next
Taking down the temporary span is the flashiest step so far, but the real grind is just beginning. Crews now have to install the permanent bridge, rebuild viaduct supports, and reconfigure traffic signals, a sequence of work that will stretch over many months. Neighbors and commuters should brace for shifting lane patterns, evolving bus routes, and periodic service changes as the city pushes toward CDOT’s target of finishing the project later in 2026.
