Bridge Lifts
It is quite a scene when Michigan Avenue meets the sky.
To accommodate sail boats and other tall vessels traveling between the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, the Michigan Avenue Bridge is opened approximately 100 times a year from April to November. Witnessing a bridge opening from the McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum is quite a treat. One spectator raved, “There is nothing I have seen that is as amazing as watching the massive Michigan Avenue Bridge rise to the sky powered by a tiny 108 horsepower motor from inside the bridge. The gears turn, the bridge rises, and you can’t help but be amazed by the ingenuity of it all.”
The bridges begin going up at 8:00 a.m. on Saturdays and 9:30 a.m. on Wednesdays, starting from Ashland Ave., proceeding north then east. The process for each bridge to go up and down takes approximately 10 minutes.
In late spring 2010, the Bridgehouse Museum will open for a number of the scheduled bridge lifts. We invite you to experience this engineering marvel up close and personal by registering for one of the following dates.
Bridge lift viewings begin at 9:30 a.m. on Saturdays and 11:30 a.m. on Wednesdays.
May
Saturday, May 15
Saturday, May 22
Wednesday, May 26
June
Saturday, June 5
Saturday, June 12
Saturday, June 19
Saturday, June 26
Wednesday, June 30
Entry fee is $10 per person. Members of Friends of the Chicago River receive a $2 discount.
Advance registration is recommended. For reservations call Ozana Balan King at (312) 939-0490, ext. 23.
Read about Bridge Lift viewing details and cancellation policy. (223K PDF)
