September 13, 2010 – The annual ritual of raising Chicago River bridges to let sailboats pass from Lake Michigan to their winter docks gets underway this week. The bridges will be raised every week through the end of October.

This year, Friends of the Chicago River is offering a unique view of the ritual from inside the gear room of the Michigan Avenue Bridge. Their Chicago River Museum will open every Saturday at 8:45 a.m. to allow visitors to see into the gear room. The museum will also be open for two Wednesday lifts on September 22 and October 20.

(Left) Sailboats pass under the State Street Bridge, returning from summer moorings for winter storage.

The bridges begin to tilt at 9:00 a.m. on Saturdays and 9:30 a.m. on Wednesdays, starting with Lake Shore Drive, proceeding west along the main branch and then south. 20 bridges are raised one at a time and it takes eight to 12 minutes to raise and lower each bridge. The 4,200-ton Michigan Avenue Bridge can be raised in 30 seconds by a 108-horsepower motor.

“Standing in the gear room of the Michigan Avenue Bridge, you can feel the anticipation as the gears come to life and the street starts lifting,” said Margaret Frisbie, executive director of Friends of the Chicago River, in a news release last Thursday. “The Bridgehouse Museum is the only place where you can get an insider’s glimpse of Chicago’s movable bridges in action.”

The non-profit organization is charging $10 per person and visitors are encouraged to make reservations, as space is limited. The McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum is located in the southwest tower of the Michigan Avenue Bridge, on the Riverwalk.

Federal law requires the City of Chicago to open bridges for boats to get from Lake Michigan to their storage yards. The Chicago Department of Transportation coordinates with local yards to create a schedule that accommodates boats while minimizing impact on traffic.

There will be no bridge lifts in November because the Chicago River Locks will be closed for repairs from November 1 through April 15, according to CDOT.

• Web site: Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum
• Reservations: 312-939-0490 extension 23