The Halsted Street viaduct is still due back before the end of 2026. The Chicago Avenue bridge, a few hundred feet east, is not. At an October 29 City Council budget hearing, Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner William Cheaks told alderpeople the bridge work will now run through spring 2027, while the viaduct remains on track to reopen later this year, Block Club Chicago reported.
So for River West, this winter is a half-open intersection. The full reset at Chicago and Halsted lands next spring, in the same season that Bally's is targeting for the permanent casino resort on the former Tribune plant site next door. When the bridge reopens, the river edge on this corner will be filling in on both sides of the street.
What reopens first, and what stays detoured
CDOT's project page lists two closure zones. One is Chicago Avenue from Larrabee Street to Peoria Street. The other is Halsted Street from Ancona Street to the river. Construction started in August 2025. The page estimates December 2026 for Halsted and spring 2027 for the bridge.
The Halsted half is the one due to change first. These are the detours CDOT posts while both streets are closed:
- Halsted northbound: east on Grand Avenue, north on Orleans Street, west on Division Street, back to Halsted.
- Halsted southbound: east on Division, south on LaSalle Drive, west on Grand, back to Halsted.
- Chicago Avenue eastbound: south on Ashland Avenue, east on Grand, north on Orleans, back to Chicago.
- Chicago Avenue westbound: south on Wells Street, west on Grand, north on Ashland, back to Chicago.
Grand Avenue shows up in all four. CDOT has refreshed the pavement markings on Grand and added "No Parking" signs there, and it has posted "No Left Turn" and "No Parking" signs at intersections along Larrabee, Grand and Superior. It also put up "Local Traffic Only" signs east of the work zone and near Kingsbury and Chicago to discourage cut-through traffic on residential streets.
On transit, CTA has rerouted the westbound #66 Chicago Avenue bus and the northbound #8 Halsted bus to keep them out of detour congestion. The Chicago Avenue detours and the #66 reroute follow the bridge, which is on the spring 2027 schedule. Both projects closed to pedestrians as well as vehicles last year, according to Block Club, so walking routes across the river at Chicago Avenue are part of the same wait.
Why the bridge fell behind the viaduct
The bridge was supposed to be finished in December 2026, CBS Chicago reported, and the new target is spring 2027. At the hearing, CDOT deputy commissioner Anne Zhang laid out the reasons, as quoted by Block Club:
"It's basically two major projects combined into one: the Halsted viaduct project as well as a Chicago Avenue bridge project. We did run into agreement issues with the railroad adjacent to the property, as well as working through temporary easement agreements with adjacent property owners."
CDOT still expects the viaduct to reopen this year while the bridge work continues into spring. Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th), whose ward includes the intersection, told CDOT he first heard about the bridge delay from a neighborhood group in his ward and asked the department to communicate better.
Chicago Avenue isn't the only river crossing on a long schedule. Here is where nearby projects stand as of the October reporting:
| Project | Status as of late October 2026 | Current target |
|---|---|---|
| Halsted Street viaduct | Closed, on track per CDOT | Later in 2026; CDOT page says December 2026 |
| Chicago Avenue bridge | Closed since September 2025 | Spring 2027 |
| Bally's permanent resort, 560 W. Grand Ave. | Under construction | Early 2027 |
| Lake Street bridge | Green and Pink Line service restored Oct. 29 | Full reopening to vehicles by January 2028 |
| Cortland Street bridge | Closed to cars and buses, open to pedestrians and cyclists | End of 2028 |
| State Street bridge | Reopened | Complete |
Two rows on that table are the same corner in the same season. The bridge and the resort next to it are both aimed at the first half of 2027.
What the finished bridge brings back
The spring 2027 date covers more than replacing the deck. According to CBS Chicago, the project swaps the former temporary bridge for a permanent tied-arch bridge and fully replaces the Chicago-Halsted viaduct. It also includes:
- A new riverwalk connection under the bridge
- Dedicated CTA bus lanes on Chicago Avenue
- Protected bike lanes on Halsted Street
- Upgraded traffic signals and street lighting in the area
The riverwalk connection is the piece that ties into the property next door.
The riverwalk on the other side of the fence
Bally's is building its permanent casino resort at 560 W. Grand Ave., on the former Chicago Tribune Freedom Center printing plant site that borders the bridge work. The project's architect, HKS, says the plan extends the Chicago Riverwalk by about 2,000 feet, from Ontario Street to Chicago Avenue, and adds a public park along the riverfront. On its resort page, Bally's describes the park as two acres.
What has to be finished by opening day is spelled out in the host agreement. Block Club reported that it requires at least 75% of the gaming area, the parking, the initial hotel rooms and other required amenities at opening. That includes five food-and-beverage outlets and a riverwalk at least 75% complete.
The opening scope is smaller than the full plan. Bally's halted work on about 12% of the $1.7 billion project this summer and called it a reset of non-gaming elements, the Chicago Sun-Times reported from a September 9 License Committee hearing. At that hearing, company president George Papanier committed to the parts the agreement requires. "We are going to deliver the event center, 100 rooms of the hotel and the required food and beverage components," he said. Two weeks later, Bally's said about 1,000 tradespeople were working on site every day and that early 2027 was still the target. It also said some non-gaming components were still under review and could be built in a different order, Yogonet reported. Bally's own site lists the River West resort as "Coming 2027."
Chicago YIMBY's October 19 aerial photos show the resort and the bridge work side by side. If both stay on schedule, River West gets a new riverwalk connection under the bridge and a required riverwalk segment along the resort in the same stretch of months, where for more than a year this corner has been fenced-off river frontage.
The storefronts that stayed open at the corner
The businesses that kept their doors open right at Chicago and Halsted, inside the closure zone, matter most to neighbors this winter. In July, the local nonprofit North Branch Works put out a shop-local appeal naming three of them. It said construction had caused sales in the area to drop significantly.
- Jerk. Jamaican Barbecue, 811 W. Chicago Ave. North Branch Works describes it as a relaxed spot for Jamaican barbecue, cocktails and craft beer. Its site lists hours of 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
- Eggholic, 833 W. Chicago Ave., first floor. Casual Indian street food built around eggs, plus sandwiches, curries and a range of drinks.
- Taco Pros, at the same 833 W. Chicago Ave. address. Its Chicago and Halsted location takes pickup and scheduled orders.
North Branch Works suggested ordering directly from the restaurants' websites, dining in, picking up to-go, or booking catering. All three sit on the stretch of Chicago Avenue that waits for the bridge, which means they have another winter on detoured streets ahead of them even after Halsted reopens.
At GetBurbed, we track timelines like this one because they shape how a block shows and sells. Spring 2027 at Chicago and Halsted will look different from this November. If you own near the corner and want to know how the reopening and the riverwalk could change your home's value, request a free home valuation and we'll walk you through it.
