The 95th Street traffic bridge over the Calumet River is 2.8 miles from the entrance of Calumet Harbor.    It lies between the Ewing Avenue traffic bridge and the Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge.  The current bridge is the third one at this site.

The first bridge was built in 1891.  It was a hand operated Howe truss swing bridge.   It was constructed by the Chicago Forge and Bolt Company.  In 1899, the bridge split in two falling into the river blocking navigation.

The second bridge was built in 1903.  It was described as a fixed trunion bascule bridge.  It was built by Roemheld and Gallery.  Its dimension were 319.5 feet long and 60 feet wide.  This bridge was operational for 50 years.

Planning for the current bridge began in the early 1950’s.  Construction began in 1955.  It was operational on 6/271958.  This is a six lane bridge.  Clearance between the river and the bridge is 21 feet.

The bridge design is pony truss bascule.  The builder of the bridge was Overland Construction Company.  Engineer/Design was the city of Chicago.   Main span length is 239 feet.  Structure length  is 343 feet.  Roadway width is 62 feet.

Inspection as of 10/2011 is as follows.   Deck condition 6 out of 9 Satisfactory.  Superstructure 4 out of 9 Poor.  Substructure 5 out of 9  Fair.  Overall appraisal structurally deficient.

An interesting fact about this bridge is that it was featured in a film sequence of the Blues Brothers.

 

2.5 miles from the entrance of the Calumet Harbor is the Ewing Avenue traffic bridge.  The original bridge at this site was built in the 1890’s.  It was a hand operated iron swing bridge.  Its dimensions were 200 X 34 feet.   When the decision was made to replace this bridge, it was moved to a slightly different location to serve as a temporary structure to maintain traffic in this area.

The current bridge was built in 1914.  It was rehabbed in 1992 and 2013.  The superstructure was built by Ketler-Elliot Erection Company.  Substructure was built by Byrne Brothers.  The bridge design was a pony truss double leaf bascule.    This is an unusual structure on the Calumet River.  Other unique features include concrete counter weights and creosoted wooden deck.  Parts of the steel were from the Cambria Company.

The largest span measures 228 feet.   Total structure length is 337.8 feet.  Deck width is 36 feet.

Last bridge rating was:  Deck 7 out of 9  Good;  Superstructure 4 out of 9  Poor; Substructure 6 out of 9 Satisfactory.  Overall appraisal Structurally deficient .

As seen in the above photos, the bridge is currently in an opened position due to ongoing maintenance work.

    

     Travelling from the Calumet Harbor to the Calumet River, the first bridge encountered is an imposing structure known as the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railroad Bridge or the CN Bridge.    Prior to this structure there was a swing bridge at this location.

     The current bridge was built in 1974. The builders are listed as the American Bridge Company or United States Steel.   The structure is a Warren truss vertical lift bridge.  Main span is 242 feet.  There is one main span and two approach spans.  The bridge is active.

This traffic bridge is located between the Eight Track Bascule Bridge to the east and the Chicago, Madison & Northern Railroad Bridge to the west.

 

 

This is a metal rivet connected Pratt Truss,  bascule bridge.  This was a moveable bridge with a counter weight.    However, the bridge is now fixed.  The bridge tender house has been completely removed.    It is a two lane bridge.

This bridge was built in 1926.  Its steel is from the Carnegie Steel Company.  The main span length is 224 feet.  Structure length is 314 feet.    Roadway width is 38 feet.  There is one main span and three approach spans.

Bridge evaluation as of 12/2010

Bridge Deck 7 out of 9  Good

Superstructure 6 out of 9 Satisfactory

Substructure  6 out of 9  Satisfactory

Overall appraisal Functionally Obsolete

Recently this facility was known as the Joliet Correctional Center.  Other names included Illinois State Penitentiary, Joliet Prison, Joliet Penitentiary, and the Collins Street Prison.   It is located on Collins Street in Joliet.  In opened in 1858 and closed in 2002.

First 33 prisoners from Alton, Illinois arrived in May 1858.   The facility was completed in 1860.   The prison was constructed with prison labor under the supervision of Lorenzo Sanger and warden Samuel Casey.  The limestone used in the construction was mined locally.  Architect was William Boyington  (also designed the Chicago Water Tower).    The last prisoners were transferred from Alton in 1860.

By the early 1870’s, the prison population had reached 1,239.  This was a record for this time period.    The prison was very slow to modernize.  As late as 1910, there was no running water or toilets in the cells.

From 1896 to 1932, there was a women’s prison across the road.   This building was then used as an annex and later as a male reception facility for Norther Illinois.

Prison population was 1,300  in 1990 and 1,156 in 2002.

More recently there was a fire at the facility on May  30, 2017.  This was found to be an episode of arson.

The first verified bridge  in this area was built in 1879 and was a fixed iron bridge.  The next bridge was built in 1909 and was a through truss center pier swing bridge.   The current bridge was built in 1970.  During construction, a temporary bridge was in place to allow for traffic flow in this location.    The  current bridge  is a riveted through plate girder.  This is a fixed bridge.  The main span length is 148.6 feet.  The structure length is 350 feet.   Roadway width is 48 feet.  There are four main spans.

Inspection report as of 10/2011 rates the deck as 3 out of 9 -serious; superstructure 5 out of 9–fair.  Substructure is rated 5 out of 9–fair.   Overall appraisal is structurally deficient.

 

 

The current bridge over the Sanitary and Ship Canal has an interesting history.  It was built in 1940. It replaced a swing bridge built in 1900.    Bridge substructure contractor was M.J. McDermott and Company.  Superstructure contractor was Strobel Construction  Company.  It was a fixed plate girder bridge.  It was a ten lane bridge.   It offered a 21 foot clearance.

The clearance of the bridge was inadequate for the passage of newly constructed World War II naval ships from Great Lakes Shipyards to the Gulf of Mexico.  In 1942, the city of Chicago signed an agreement with the Naval Department.  The city agreed to convert the bridge from its current configuration to one of the largest vertical lift bridges at the time.  In a few short months, towers were added along with the machinery necessary to operate the bridge.  The bridge was operational April 5, 1943.   One interesting fact was that traffic on the bridge was not seriously affected during the conversion project.

 

Some time after the 1972 photo was taken the lift towers were removed and the bridge became a fixed one.

The bridge is metal through girder.  It is 295 feet in length.  The road way is 107 feet in width.  Length of maximum spam is 108.9 ft.   The deck width is 145.3 ft.  There are bilateral side walks measuring 9.5 feet.    It consists of one main span and two approach spans.   Vertical clearance is 22.0 feet.

Bridge inspection report as of 10/2011:  Deck condition rating  6 out of  9 Satisfactory. Superstructure rating 5 out of 9 Fair.    Substructure rating 5 out of 9  fair.

 

 

There have been multiple bridges over this site on the south branch of the Chicago River.  The first documented  bridge was a swing type.  It was built by the Detroit Bridge Company in 1883.  It was 160 feet in length and 20.5 feet in width.    The next bridge was built in 1902 by the Chicago Bridge and Iron Company.  This was a rare Page type bascule bridge.  This was replaced by the existing bridge in 1938.   During the replacement project, a temporary bobtail swing bridge was erected adjacent to the construction site.   This was constructed by the Overland Construction Company.   This was done to keep the area open to traffic.

The current bridge was constructed in 1938.  The superstructure contractor was was Ketler–Elliot Company.   Substructure contractor was Fitz Simmons and Connell Dredge and Dock Company.  Depression Age funding was used for the project.   The description of the bridge is  a very wide pony truss bascule bridge.   There are three pony truss lines to carry the wide bridge.

The bridge is still  operational. The main span length is 225 feet.  The total structure length is 312 feet.   The road width is 57 feet.   There is one main span and four approach spans.

Bridge appraisal as of 10/2011:  Deck Condition 7 out of 9   Good;  Superstructure 6 out 9  Fair; Substructure 5 out of 9  Fair

This is a highway bridge between Cal Sag Junction and Willow Springs Road Bridge.   This is a truss bridge over the canal.  It was built in 1934 and rehabilitated in 1997.  It is 1,129.6 feet in length and 43.9 feet in width.