Repairs on the State Street Bridge over the Chicago River are expected to be completed late this winter, the Chicago Department of Transportation announced Wednesday.

CDOT said it is nearing the final phase of emergency repair work on the downtown bridge, which started back in April 2025. Repairs to the bridge should be complete toward the end of February, with bridge trials following in early March, CDOT said.

After bridge trials are complete, the bridge will reopen to traffic and pedestrians, CDOT said. No date was specified for when this would happen.

When the bridge first closed, the repairs were expected to last until mid-November. But they have been dragged out because of additional steel repairs that turned out to be needed, CDOT said.

The work involved the removal and replacement of floor beams and repairs to center lock components of the drawbridge. Crews have also repaired viaducts north of the bridge during the closure.

Repairs to the State Street viaduct north of the river were completed on Dec. 30. Concrete bus pad restoration will be completed in the month to come without impacting pedestrian access, and restoration of asphalt on the viaduct will be finished in the spring, CDOT said.

For the bridge, testing of the southwest quadrant will take place this week, and CDOT crews will be moved to the northwest quadrant, the last area for the work, next week. But the bridge will be fully closed until work is complete.

Traffic detours will remain in place until that time. Northbound traffic is being rerouted along westbound Wacker Drive, northbound Dearborn Street, and eastbound Kinzie Street before returning to State Street. Southbound traffic is rerouted along westbound Kinzie Street, southbound Clark Street, and eastbound Wacker Drive before likewise returning to State Street.

Three Chicago Transit Authority bus lines — the No. 29 State bus in both directions and the southbound No. 36 Broadway and No. 62 Archer buses — are affected by the detour.

Meanwhile, just to the south, another disruption will affect commuters for three years to come. The State/Lake Loop 'L' stop closed last week for complete demolition and reconstruction.

The Chicago Transit Authority elevated station, which serves the Brown, Green, Purple, Orange, and Pink lines, is 130 years old. The city announced in early December that the old station will be completely demolished and rebuilt as a "new, fully accessible rail hub."

The State/Lake elevated station is one of the oldest in the city's system and has the fifth-highest ridership. Officials said the new station will have wider platforms, four new elevators with full ADA accessibility, two escalators, a glass canopy, and improved lighting and visibility.

 Construction will take at least three years, with the new station set to open in 2029.