Heat causes DuSable Lake Shore Drive bridge over Chicago River to stick in up position, snarling traffic

A major traffic jam is building up on DuSable Lake Shore Drive as the bridge over the Chicago River is stuck in the up position.

The bridge, which is right by Navy Pier, lifted around 10 a.m. for the first of two scheduled bridge lifts Wednesday. The bridge lifts are standard on Wednesdays in the summer, allowing boats to come from Lake Michigan onto the Chicago River. The 10 a.m. lift was to left in the Spirit of Chicago cruise ship, according to the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

But when it was time for the bridge to come back down, it didn't. Not all the way, at least.

The Chicago Department of Transportation said the bridge experienced a heat-related issue that is preventing the bridge from fully closing. CDOT crews are working to safely close the bridge and reopen the road as quickly as possible. In the meantime, they recommend drivers avoid the area and find alternate routes. 

By 11:40 a.m., boats had arrived at the bridge to hose streams of water onto it, apparently in hopes of cooling down the parts enough to get the bridge functioning again.