Be extra careful on bridges today, they're icing over

Like the title says, the metal grates are much worse than normal. I went down on Dearborn and the bridge was so slick I could barely stand up and walk off.

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Permalink Reply by John Durham on January 13, 2013 at 1:20pm

Glad you're not seriously hurt, at least I assume you weren't because you were able to walk away and post this message to the Chainlink.

Be careful out there!

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Permalink Reply by Julie Hochstadter on January 13, 2013 at 1:26pm

and remember the trails, like bridges, can have ice even when everything else is thawing.

A family member had to have a hip replacement due to a fall on a trail friday morning :((

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Permalink Reply by h' 1.0 on January 13, 2013 at 2:29pm

Sorry about your fall. You OK?

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Permalink Reply by Cameron 7.5 mi on January 13, 2013 at 2:30pm

Bruised my ankle, but otherwise ok.

h' 1.0 said:

Sorry about your fall. You OK?

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on January 13, 2013 at 2:35pm

I'm glad your fall wasn't worse.

It's slick on the south side, too. I hope that nobody has to go out in this slip-and-slide tonight.

To anyone who must go out, I wishing you safe travels.

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Permalink Reply by David P. on January 13, 2013 at 4:59pm

Glad you're OK, Cameron. My honey had the same thing happen to her this afternoon on the Webster bridge. Fortunately there was no traffic around when she fell, and she's bruised but OK. The Cortland bridge is OK.

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Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio 4.0 mi on January 13, 2013 at 6:10pm

With it getting so much colder and the little bits of whatever precipitation is going around, looks like we will need to be extra careful in the morning, too.

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Permalink Reply by h' 1.0 on January 13, 2013 at 6:14pm

Agreed. Generally I find warnings about the dreaded "BLACK ICE" to be silly, but I would definitely pay attention to darker pavement and stay light on the handlebars until we're buried in salt.

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Permalink Reply by Juan 2-8 mi. on January 13, 2013 at 8:40pm

I almost took a nasty spill with my fully loaded bicycle on the Dearborn bridge. It is one big sheet of icy metal, I had to carefully walk across it to the end near Wacker.

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Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio 4.0 mi on January 14, 2013 at 6:23am

Thanks, Juan. I think I will just walk across from the beginning this morning. ;-) Let's hope that the bright sunshine melts it today.

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Permalink Reply by Tony Adams 6.6 mi on January 14, 2013 at 9:10am

Yes - thanks for the warnings everyone! The grates on Loomis were in the same condition this AM. I walked over them. I'm not sure I would have looked as carefully if I hadn't read these reports on the Chainlink!

The much hoped for plates however, are not necessarily going to solve the problem during weather like we are having now. The plates on the 18th St bridge in both directions are more or less covered with solid sheets of ice this morning.

This is a shot of the north side, which was in the sun. The south side was even worse:

I'm not at all opposed to plates. They usually make for a much nicer riding experience, but bridges are gonna be vulnerable to icing up no matter what the surface - and the plates, at least as they are configured on 18th, being non-permeable(?) , seem to hold a layer of water pretty well.