This is a vertical lift truss traffic bridge over the Calumet River.   It is located between the Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad Bridge and the Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge.  It is 6.8 miles from the entrance of the Calumet Harbor. It is unique because it is not a bascule bridge typical of Chicago traffic bridges.  It was constructed in 1936.   The superstructure contractor was Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company.  Substructure contractor was Mackie Thompson Tamm, Inc.

The main span length was 276 feet.  Structure length is 497 feet.  Roadway width is 44 feet.  There is on main span and 5 approach spans.

The previous first bridge at this site was built in 1905 by Jackson and Corbett.  It was a hand operated wooden bridge (pontoon type).  During the construction of the current bridge, a temporary bridge was put in place.  This was a multispan structure including a fixed pony struss span and a bobtail pony truss swing bridge.

Beginning in 2011, the city of Chicago began a multiyear rehabilitation project for this bridge and the adjacent abandoned railroad bridge.