THE LOOP — Ten days after Maggie Daley Park opened, a giant orange suspension bridge on its wildly popular playground was closed for a few hours Tuesday afternoon after a metal clamp came loose, officials said.
The clamp was quickly put back in place but the park wanted to be "overly cautious" because children were playing in the area, according to Bob O'Neill, president of The Grant Park Conservancy.
Caution tape cordoned off the middle section of the bridge, but that didn't stop kids (and adults) from testing the integrity of the bridge Tuesday before it reopened.
Kids ducked under yellow caution tape to run from one 30-foot-tall orange tower to another. One adult was seen doing a pull-up from under the bridge to see if it could hold his weight.
"It seems pretty sturdy to me," said James Woods, 19, of Grayslake, as he watched a toddler go under the tape and slowly make his way across the same bridge.
The caution tape was put up around 2:50 p.m. after a security guard said she was told that "screws are falling off the bridge."
Jessica Maxey-Faulkner, a spokeswoman for the Chicago Park District, confirmed the closure but said that the bridge was open again as of 5:10 p.m.
"The bridge on the playground of Maggie Daley park was closed for maintenance for a time this afternoon," she said in an email.
Other sections of the bridge and climbing structure remained open while the middle portion was shut down.
For the most part, the hundreds of children and their parents at the new playground, which opened on Dec. 13, seemed largely unconcerned Tuesday.
"I wish they would have done more testing if it turns out there's a problem," said Jack Scott, 47, of Albany Park. "Other than that, it's pretty awesome," he added as his 6-year-old son played in the area.
The bridge has been a popular spot for adults to play on as well. Jesse Han, 19, of suburban Lisle, said she has walked across the bridge multiple times since it opened.
"I thought it was supposed to be a shaky bridge," Han said.
Scott Klocksin contributed to this report.
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