This is a canal walkway over the I and M Canal in rural Grundy County.   The builder is unknown.  It is a metal 5 panel rivet–connected Pratt truss, fixed.  The bridge sits in its original location.  It is now used for non motorized uses.  

     The trusses are very light weighted.  There are stone abutments.  The guard rails are very ugly and probably not original.

 

Revised and expanded on 1/4/2017

    The Webster Avenue Bridge (1600 West; 2200 North)crosses east to west the North branch of the Chicago River 4.9 miles from the river mouth.   This is the second bridge at this site.  The bridge opened on August 3, 1916.   Contractors were:

Bridge Designer:  Chief Bridge Engineer  Thomas Pihlfeldt;  City Bridge Engineer:  Alexander von Babo

Builder/Contractor was Kettler Elliot Company of Chicago

Substructure Contractor Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company

Electrical Contractor. C.H. Norwood

     The bridge type is a metal rivet-connected Pratt Pony Truss,movable: double leaf bascule (fixed trunnion) and approach spans : metal stringer (multi-beam) fixed.  There is one main span and four approach spans.

     Main span length is 189 feet.    Structure length is 287 feet.  Roadway width is 36 feet.The

  Construction costs were $285,558.

     In 1936, old deck paving removed and replaced  by 3 in. X 6 in.  deck overlaid with asphalt planking.  

     In 1968, open grid steel deck installed.

     In the 199o’s, the bridge was converted from movable to fixed. The N.E. bridge house was removed.   S.E. Bridge house was abandoned

     The first bridge was an iron and wood swing bridge.  The superstructure was the former Clark Street Howe through Truss bridge.  It opened in 1889. 

Contractors were:

Designer: Fox and Howard

Superstructure: Fox and Howard

Substructure:  Chicago Dredge and Dock Company

Construction cost was $ 11,500.

Bridge was removed on June 4, 1914.

Inspection 9/2011.

Deck.                       Condition.              Rating.   Good.       7 out of 9

Superstructure    Condition.               Rating    Serious    3 out of 9

Substructure.       Condition.               Rating     Fair.         5 out of 9

Sufficiency Rating.    43.9 out of 100.

 

     Blog Posted 1/3/2018

     The North Ashland Avenue Bridge (2201 North: 1600 West) crosses North to South over the North Branch Chicago 4.9 miles from the river mouth. The current bridge is the first and only bridge at this site.  It opened on August 20, 1936.

     It is a metal rivet-connected Pratt Pony Truss, movable: double leaf bascule (fixed trunnion) and approach spans, metal stringer (multibeam), fixed.  There is one main span 4 approach spans. The main span measures 232 feet. The structure length is 386.5 feet. The roadway width is 60 feet.   There are four lanes of traffic.

Contractors  were

Design:  Division of Bridges and Viaducts   City of Chicago

Superstructure Contractor:  Kettler Elliot Company

Substructure Contractor:  FitzSimons and Connell Company Company

     In 1993, the bridge was rehabbed.

     In 1995, bridge was charged to fixed.

     Construction Costs were $1.7 million.

Bridge Inspection  11/2010

Deck                            Condition.                Rating.    Satisfactory. 6 out 9

Superstructure.       Condition.               Rating.    Satisfactory  6 out of 9

Substructure.          Condition.                Rating.     Good 7 out of 9

Sufficiency Rating   94/100

This is a massive bridge over the north branch of the Chicago River.  It is a metal 6 panel river-connected Warren through Truss, movable single leaf bascule (heel trunnion)   It was built in 1916.

 

Contractors:

American Bridge Company Fabricator

Builder/ Constructor Kelly Atkinson Construction Company of Chicago

Engineer/Design Strauss Bascule Bridge Company

Substructure Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company.

There is one main span which is 145 feet in length.   Structure length is 186 feet.  There are three sets of tracks only two of which  are currently used.  It is used my  Metra Union Pacific.

The current bridge is the third at this site.  There  was a single track wooden bridge initially.  There was replaced in 1887 by a double track swing bridge.  This was 176 feet in length.  It weighed 400 tons

 

 

     The Dellos Street Bridge over Aux Sable Creek is the oldest still standing bridge in Grundy County.  It was originally built by Aux Sable Township in 1873. Bridge is currently maintained by Channahon.   It was regained rehabbed in 1967.

     It is a concrete 3 span arch bridge.  Its largest span 35.1 feet.  Total structure length is 122 feet.  Deck width is 19 feet.  There is a single lane of traffic in each direction. 

Bridge Inspection 11/2011

Deck                          Condition.             Rating     Satisfactory  6 out of 9

Superstructure.     Condition.             Rating.    Satisfactory  6 out of 9

Superstructure.     Condition.             Rating.    Satisfactory  6 out of 9

Sufficiency Rating. 71.9 out of 100

 

      Spanning the I and M Canal in Marseilles is a pony plate girder swing bridge.   It was built by Manufactures Bridge Company in 1887.  It was operated by hand with a crank gear system in the middle of the bridge.  The largest span  is 65 feet.  Total length is 130 feet. This was part of the Rock Island System.  It is currently abandoned.  

     There was a charge of $1.00 per car to cross the canal.

This is an old railroad bridge over the I and M Canal in Morris, Illinois.  It was built around 1905.  It is a triple intersection Warren through truss bridge.  It is the only bridge of this type on the I and M Canal.   Its length is 160 feet.  Its builder was Carnegie Steel Company.    It was a single track bridge.    It was modified to be used as a pedestrian bridge.   There is wood pedestrian decking with  6 ” by 2″ diagonal planking

At various times, the bridge was used by the Chicago, Rock Island Railroad and the Morris Terminal Railroad.

Companies serviced by this spur included: Morris Paper Company, Woelfel Tannery and and the Coleman Hardware Company.

Current owner is the State of Illinois.

Near North Utica, Illinois is a steel rusted bridge structure over the I and M Canal.  This was a spur line of the Rock Island R.R.   It was built in 1900.  It is a double intersection Warren  pony truss structure.  It is a single track.  Both ends are covered with fencing.  No adjacent track is present.  The abutments are limestone capped with concrete.   The span length is 95 feet.  Total length is 95 feet.  The structure is abandoned.

There has been a rail spur at this location since 1870.  Companies serviced included Utica Brick Company, Utica Sewer and Pipe Terra Cotta Company, Hydraulic Cement Company, and town grain elevators.

     The current Wabash Avenue Bridge ( 50 East  326 North) over the Chicago River is the first bridge at this  location.  It is 7/10ths of a mile west of the river mouth.  In 1985, it was dedicated as the Irv Kupcinet Bridge  Mr. Kupcinet was a long time columnist for the Chicago Sun Times News Paper.   Their offices used to be located on Wabash Avenue near the river.   The bridge was built in 1930.  It was rehabbed in 2003.  It consists of one main span and 3 approach spans.  The main span length is 269 feet.  The structure length is 345.2 feet.   The roadway width is 57 feet.

The official bridge description is metal rivet-connected Pratt Railing Height Truss, movable double leaf bascule (fixed trunnion) and approach spans: metal stringer (multibeam), fixed.  There are single  bridge tender houses on each side of the bridge.  They are Beaux Arts Style.

 

The contractors were: Building/Contractor  Ketler-Elliot Company of Chicago

Engineer/Design  City of Chicago (Thomas Pihlfeldt)

Electric Contractor  Pierce Electric Company

Bridge Tender Houses Contractor  George Cullen, Inc.

Inspection 10/2011

Deck                           Condition             Rating                   Very  Good        8 out of 9

Superstructure        Condition             Rating                   Satisfactory      6 out or 9

Substructure           Condition             Rating                    Poor                  4 out of 9

 

Appraisal   Structurally deficient

 

     The current State Street Bridge ( 0 East; 309 North)crosses the main channel of the Chicago River .8 mile from the river mouth.  This Bridge is also known as the Bataan–Corregidor Memorial Bridge.  It has a similar appearance to the adjacent Dearborn Street Bridge.   The building project was prolonged from 1942 to 1949.  There were two reasons for this: 1) steel shortage during World War II and 2) the concurrent red line subway project under the Chicago River at the same site. Bridge was completed May 28, 1949.

Like the Dearborn Street Bridge, the State Street Bridge description is metal rivet-connected Pratt Railing Truss, movable double leaf bascule (fixed trunnion); and approach span, metal stringer  (multibeam), fixed.   There is one main span and 5 approach spans.    Main span length is 245 feet.  Structure length is 307 feet.  Roadway width is 72 feet.

List of contractors

Building Contractors  Overland Construction Company of Chicago

Engineer/Design City of Chicago

Substructure Contractor  Fitzsimons and Connell Dredge and Dock Company

Construction cost was 3.5 million dollars.

     Bridge carried two continuous lines of 50 ton streetcars on either side of the center truss until 2/18/1957.

     The first bridge at this site was built in 1864.  It was an iron reinforced swing bridge.    It was 184 X 35 feet. It was designed and constructed by Fox and Howard for $36,000.  It was destroyed in the Chicago Fire of 1871.

    This was replaced in 1872 by a 184 foot metal through truss swing bridge with ornamental details.  This was designed  and constructed by the Keystone Bridge Company for $49,509

     The third bridge was built in September, 1887.  It was a Pratt truss steel swing bridge powered by steam. It was designed and constructed by A. Gotten and Company for $24,400.  The center pier was rebuilt in 1898.    It was converted from steam to electric in 1897.  The bridge was closed on October 8, 2001

    A new bridge was built in 1903 by the American Bridge Company. It was a Scherzer rolling lift bascule pony truss bridge.  Substructure Contractor was Lydon and Drews Company.  Cost was $147, 648.  Bridge was removed in May,1939.

Bridge Inspection as of 11/2012

Deck                    Condition Rating           Satisfactory       6 out of 9

Superstructure Condition  Rating           Fair                     5 out of 9

Substructure Condition Rating               Satisfactory      6 out of 9

 

Appraisal   Functionally Obsolete