PUBLIC NOTICE: Proposed Replacement of South Western Avenue Bridge, Mile, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, Chicago, IL

All interested parties are notified that the Commander, Ninth Coast Guard District, has received an application from the Chicago Department of Transportation requesting approval of the location and plans for proposed replacement of the South Western Avenue Bridge located over Mile 6.7 (USACE Mile 320.6) of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) in the City of Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. The City of Chicago proposes to remove the existing movable bridge and replace it with a fixed bridge at the same location and along the same alignment. The purpose of the proposed replacement is to replace the existing deteriorating structure with a new structure that provides for the current and prospective reasonable needs of navigation. The existing structure is a lift bridge that has been allowed to remain in the down position by regulation set forth in 33 C.F.R. §117.391(c). The proposed structure would be a fixed bridge with a vertical clearance of 22.00-feet available at the center with 21.00-feet at the limits of the navigation channel and a horizontal clearance of 155.00-feet.

Public Notice 09-03-22, attached here, provides details on the project and explains how to provide comments. It is also available at Public Notices for Bridges | Navigation Center (uscg.gov).

Interested parties are requested to express their views, in writing, on the proposed bridge project including its possible impacts to the environment and navigation. Comments will be received for the record through 11 October 2022. The Coast Guard project officer is Mr. Michael Walker and may be contacted at (216) 902-6087, or by email at Michael.O.Walker2@uscg.mil.