Bridge lifts begin as sailboats head down Chicago River

In another annual sign that summer is just around the corner, the Chicago bridge lifts have begun.

Wednesday morning sailboats coming out of winter storage began their journey down the Chicago River and into Lake Michigan.

During the boat runs all 27 bridges from the Ashland Avenue Bridge to Lake Shore Drive are raised sequentially for about 8-12 minutes.

The bridge lifts run through the end of June.