McKinley Bridge will be closed for repairs, IDOT says

The McKinley Bridge, which runs from North City to the metro-east community of Venice, will be closed for repairs this weekend, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

If the weather cooperates, the 2-lane bridge will close Friday at 9 p.m. and reopen Monday at 5 a.m. IDOT will close traffic in both directions in order to seal the deck of the bridge.

The repairs will extend beyond the section of the bridge that spans the Mississippi River. The closure will run from 9th St. in St. Louis to Bremen St. in Venice.

IDOT said motorists will need to find an alternate route during the construction. All other bridges to and from the metro-east will remain open this weekend.

In the last couple of years, the state agency has opted to fully close some roadways during construction because it’s “safer, faster and cheaper,” according to IDOT’s local engineers.