A semi-truck hauling steel beams slammed into the underside of the Lake Avenue bridge over the Edens Expressway near Wilmette Thursday evening, scattering heavy steel debris across the roadway and injuring two people. The crash forced authorities to shut down the bridge in both directions while crews assessed the damage.
According to an Illinois State Police statement reported by CBS Chicago, the southbound truck struck a girder on the underside of the bridge around 5:20 p.m., sending steel beams spilling onto the roadway below. The station reported that two people were injured and hospitalized.
The Lake Avenue bridge was closed in both directions immediately after the impact so Illinois Department of Transportation inspectors could evaluate the overpass for structural damage before allowing it to reopen, the station's report noted. The inspection was intended to evaluate the damage before the bridge reopened.
A Vital Link to the Lake
The closure hit close to home for Wilmette-area drivers. The shutdown didn't just snarl the expressway; it disrupted local travel.
Open questions remain about how the truck ended up striking a bridge in the first place. Illinois law sets a standard maximum vehicle height of 14 feet, and anything taller requires a special permit, according to Simplex Group. Freight haulers moving oversize or overheight loads are supposed to apply through the state's Illinois Transportation Automated Permit system, which checks proposed routes against bridge clearances and structural tolerances before a permit is ever issued, per the Simplex Group.
Who Pays for the Damage
Whether the driver held a valid overheight permit for this particular route has not been established. But regardless of that answer, the available permit materials do not state a minimum liability-insurance amount; the Will County Department of Transportation materials list permit and analysis fees but do not establish who would pay inspection or repair costs. Under the Illinois Vehicle Code, specified overweight violations can carry graduated fines, per FindLaw.
Not the First Strike on This Stretch
Thursday's crash fits a troubling pattern along this corridor. On Wednesday, September 16, 2026, a semi-truck carrying scrap metal spilled debris on I-90 near West Grand Avenue in Chicago, wedging a piece of metal between the bridge and the road and injuring two motorists in passing cars, as reported by FOX 32 Chicago. Another overpass incident was reported, though the available material does not identify its date, location, consequences or coverage. Together, the incidents document separate crashes involving debris and overpasses in the area, but do not establish a recurring hazard or the condition of overpasses or volume of freight traffic.
