Published 12/8/2017

       Pennsylvania R.R. Bridge 458 crosses the South Branch of the Chicago River near Canal and Lumber Streets.  It crosses from North to south.  It was built in 1915 as a replacement for a swing bridge.

     It is a metal 10 panel rivet-connected Parker through Truss movable vertical lift bridge.   The main span measures 272.8 feet.  Total structure length is 387.8 feet.  Width measures 19.5 feet.  There are two tracks.  There is one main span and two approach spans.  At each end of the bridge are vertical towers 195 feet in height.  The movable span can be moved to provide 130 feet of clearance under the bridge.  This is the only remaining vertical lift bridge on the Chicago River.Bridge Contractors:  Builder/Contractor  Pennsylvania Steel Company of Shelton,PA.

Engineer Design Wadell  and Harrington.

     This bridge was originally owned by the Pennsylvania R.R.  It is currently owned by Amtrak.  It is also used by Metra and Norfolk Southern  R.R.

     There is a small house at top of the center span.  This functioned as the bridge tender house.  It also protects the operating equipment.   At the present time, the bridge is operated remotely from a R.R. switching tower at 14th and Lumber Streets.

    The bridge was designated as a national landmark on 12/12/2017.

There is currently no Rush Street Bridge over the Chicago River.    At one time, there were  four different bridges ( 1856–1920) at this site (365 North; 80 East).

The first bridge was built in 1856.  This was a replacement to a ferry service.   It was an all iron swing bridge; one of the first.    Type was Pratt Truss.  There were three trusses with two  roadways.  There were also pedestrian walkways.  The bridge was financed with  equal contributions of $18,000 by the city of Chicago and the Illinois Central and Galena and Chicago Union railroads.  The bridge was destroyed in 1863.  Twelve individuals and sixty head of cattle were pushed into the waters of the Chicago River.

Due to the importance of the Rush Street crossing, there was only a short interval between the destruction of bridge 1 and the construction of bridge 2.  The second bridge opened February 3, 1864.  Construction cost was $8,740.  Contractor was Fox and Howard.

The bridge was a wooden pivot bridge 211 feet long and 32 feet wide.  It had two carriage ways.    It was a two truss bridge.  The bridge was destroyed in 1871 during the Great Chicago Fire.

     The replacement bridge was built in 1872.  It was an iron Pratt truss hand operated  swing bridge.  It was the same length as the previous bridge and one foot wider.  It was designed by the Detroit Bridge Company.  Substructure Contractor was E. Sweet, Jr. and Company.  Cost was $54,000.   It was destroyed on November 22, 1883 by a collision involving the Schooner Grainger and a steam barge Business.

     A fourth bridge over the Chicago River at Rush Street was opened on July 22, 1984. Bridge was designed by Rush and Coolidge; they were also the superstructure contractor.   Substructure Contractor was Fitzsimmons and Connell.  Construction cost was $125,000.  

     The 657 ton bridge was an all iron Pratt Through Truss steam powered one. It was the second largest bridge built at this time.  It was the last iron swing bridge built by the city of Chicago.  It was 240 feet long and 59 feet wide.  During its life span, it underwent many updates.  In 1895, the steam power plant was removed and replaced by electric motors.  In 1899, the bridge was replanked. In 1909, 2 new ge motors were installed.  In 1907, danger signals were installed.The

     The 4 Rush Street Bridge was closed on 12/22/1920.

 

Photos added 4/14/2018

     Written 12/7/2017

Dan Ryan Expressway (I90/ I94; 700 West; 2400 South) runs North South through Chicago.  It crosses the South Branch Chicago River 4.3 miles from the river mouth.

     The Federal Highway Act of 1956 established the interstate highway system.  One of the roads in this system was the Soutwest highway (Dan Ryan Expressway).  There was a controversy about the nature of the bridge crossing the South Branch Chicago River.  One group wanted a bascule type of structure; the other argued for a fixed bridge.  The U.S. Army corps of engineers, U.S. Bureau of Public Roads, and the Secretary of the Army approved a fixed bridge.  It opened in 1965.

     It is a steel and reinforced concrete bridge.  The bridge length is 517 feet.  It is 174 feet wide.  There are 12 traffic lanes.  There are emergency walks on both both sides measuring 2.2 feet.  Bridge clearance is 60 feet.  The bridge was constructed by the American Bridge Company.  Cost was $1,178,566.

The Fisk Generating Station was a medium sized coal fired electric generating plant located at 1111 West Cermak Avenue in the Pilsen Neighborhood.  It is located near the South Branch of the Chicago River which provided water for steam and a route for barge traffic to deliver coal.  The site of the plant is 60 acres.  At its peak, the facility provided power to 381,000 households.

Today, the Fisk site includes multiple large buildings with reinforced concrete foundations, steel frames and common bond brick walls.    The original powerhouse was built in 1903.  The architects were Shepley,  Butan, and Coolidge.  Attached to this, is the boiler building and turbine generator room.  It is a tall one story building measuring 600  X 200 feet.  It was built in 1959.

There is a three story administration building.   It measures 300 X 80 feet.  There are two one story flanking buildings attached to this building.

There is switch house 2 and transmission terminal built in 1940.  It measures 120 X 50 feet.  It consists of brick wall on concrete foundation.

There is a three story maintenance building measuring 200 X 84 feet. There is Switch House N built in 1920.  It measures 250 X 40 feet.  Finally, there is a building known as the frequency changer house.

The Fisk Plant was purchased by Midwest Generation in 1999.

The Fisk Plant closed in 2012.  Causes for the closure included:  competition from natural gas plants and burdensome environmental regulations.

The Crawford Power Plant is located at 3501 S. Pulaski Avenue near the Sanitary and Ship Canal.  It was built in 1924.  The architects were  Graham, Anderson, Probst, and White.  The architectural style is described as  Industrial Gothic.   It uses red brick and stonework masonry.  It stands on a 72 acre site.  There was storage for 300,000 tons of coal.

Operation started in 1925.  It was the largest of five power plants servicing the Chicago area.  It produced 750,000 kilowatts.   The plant was acquired by  Midwest Generation in 1999.

Plant  reduced sulfur dioxide emissions by 39% and nitrogen oxide emissions by 48 % in 2001 by using lower sulfur coal and new technologies.  Mercury emissions were reduced by 90% by  new technologies.

Controls to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 70%  were installed in 2011.

However all of these updates were not enough.  Midwest Generation determined that required retrofits needed to meet federal air standards were not economically feasible. The plant was closed in 2012.

 

     Completed 12/7/2017

     The Cermak Road Bridge (501 West;  2200 South) runs east–west over the South Branch Chicago River four miles from the river’s mouth.  It was built in 1905. It was a metal rivet connected Pratt Through Truss movable double leaf bascule (Scherzer electric powered rolling lift) and approach spans: metal stringer (multibeam) fixed.  Bridge measurements include main span length is 216 feet; structure length is 337 feet; roadway width is 36 feet.  There is one main span.  There are three approach spans. This is the last surviving Scherzer Rolling Lift highway bridge in Chicago.

     The bridge abutments  are reinforced concrete.  There are wooden bridge tender houses at the North East and South West corners.

     The bridge was close from 1997 to October 28, 1998 for a $16 million renovation.   Bridge was rebuilt  and raised to a clearance of 19 feet.  The bridge houses were rebuilt.

     The following are the original bridge contractors:

Designer:  Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Company

Superstructure Contractor:  Jackson and Corbet Company.

Substructure Contractor: Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company.

Construction costs were $277,682.

     

    The very first bridge was built at this site in 1871.  It was a swing wood and iron Howe Truss bridge.  It was 210 feet in length and 32 feet wide. It was designed and constructed by Fox and Howard.  Total cost was $26,900.  It was removed in 1905.

Bridge Inspection Current Bridge ( 10/2011)

Deck                      Condition      Rating         Very Good.        8 out of 9

Superstructure  Condition.    Rating          Very Good.       8 out of 9

Substructure.     Condition.   Rating.          Satisfactory    6 out of 9

Appraisal functionally obsolete     

     Completed 12/10/2017.

The Canal Street Bridge (500 West; 2201 South) runs North South over the South Branch of the Chicago River 3.8 miles from the river mouth.  This is the fourth bridge at this site.  Construction began in 1941.  It was suspended in 1943.  It resumed in 1946 and was completed in 1948.  The bridge is a metal rivet-connected Pratt Pony Truss movable: double leaf bascule (fixed trunnion) and approach spans ; metal stringer (multi beam), fixed.  Main span length is 254 feet.  Structure length measures 350 feet.  Roadway width is 44 feet.  There is one main span and four approach spans.  There is steel grate hardware.  There is electric motor power system.

     Contractors include:

Design  Division of Bridges and Viaducts  City of Chicago

Superstructure Contractor  Mount Vernon Bridge Company Mount Vernon, Ohio

Substructure Contractor Simpson Construction

Bridge cost. $1,455,000.

The bridge was painted white for many years.  In 2010, it was painted maroon.

     The First bridge at this was built in 1890.  It was a Swing Howe Truss wood and iron hand operated bridge  The bridge was designed by Abraham Gottlieb, civil engineer.  Superstructure Contractor was A. Gottlieb Bridge Company.  Substructure Contractor was Chicago Dredge and Dock Company.

     There were three subscribers to the bridge:

Shoenhofen Brewing Company   $3000

Silver Creek and Morris Coal Company. $2000

Conrad Seipp Brewing Company $1000.

Total construction costs were  $22,362.

     This bridge was plagued with problems from the beginning.  It was condemned as an obstruction to navigation by the U.S. Government.  It was removed and transferred to Belmont Avenue in 1892.

     The second Canal Street Bridge opened in June, 1893.  It was a folding steel electric powered bascule bridge.  The only other bridge of this type was at Weed Street.  It was patented by Captain William Harman on 6/5/1888.  The bridge had a 20 foot wide roadway.  It had two 6 foot sidewalks.  Each bridge leaf had hinges at the rear and the midpoint.  As the midpoint hinge rose, two segments folded together. It was reported that the bridge opened and closed in 15 to 20. seconds.  

     The bridge was designed by William Harman.  It was built by Shalter and Schnigau.  Cost was $46,845.

     Unfortunately, the bridge had mechanical issues.  It was repeatedly out of service.  It suffered two boat collisions in 1900.  It was forced out of service for an extended period.  

     The bridge was removed In 1903

     The third Canal Street Bridge was built in 1903.  It was built by the Sanitary District.  The bridge design selected was a Scherzer Rolling Lift Bascule.  The superstructure contractor was the American Bridge Company. Substructure Contractor was Lydon and Drews Company.  Construction cost was $128,000.

     In 1906, the following changes were made: 1) Bridge was redecked; 2) sidewalks were replaced; )  the original Westinghouse electric motors were replaced with GE motors.  

     In 1912, one of the bridge’s leaf moved forward approximately one foot toward the river.  At the time, a temporary solution was developed.   The ultimate solution to this problem was reached in 1935.  It consisted of: 1) sole and track plates were replaced; 2) reinforced concrete slab roadway was installed on the rear of each bridge leaf; 3) rest of the bridge deck was replaced with asphalt planking.The

     The bridge was removed In 1941.

Bridge Inspection (12/2012)

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

Superstructure.       Condition.                                Rating                         Good.               7 out of 9

Substructure            Condition.                                Rating.                         Satisfactory  6 out of 9

Sufficiency  Rating.       76 out of 100

  Written 12/15/2017

   The Halsted Street Bridge (800 West; 2404 South) crosses the South Branch of the Chicago in a North South direction 4.4 miles west of the river mouth.  It is a metal rivet-connected Pratt Pony Truss: double leaf bascule (fixed trunnion) and approach spans: metal stringer (multi beam fixed), fixed.  It opened on September 13, 1934.

     Interesting facts about the bridge: 1) It was one of only three pony truss bridges in Chicago with three truss lines; 2) it is 90 feet wide with two roadways 28 1/4 feet wide; there are two pedestrian walks 10 1/2 feet wide; each leaf weighs 1,930 tons.

     The main span measures 224 feet.  Structure length is 316 feet.  There is one main span and 4 approach spans.

     The bridge was designed by the Division of Viaducts and Bridges.  Superstructure Contractor was Mount Vernon Bridge Company.  Substructure Contractor was FitzSimons and Connell.  Construction cost was $997,388.

     The bridge was rehabbed in 1988.

     The construction of the first bridge at this location was delayed by litigation.  It was eventually completed and opened on July, 1861.  It was a swing, wood hand operated bridge.  It was designed and built by Chapin and Howard.  Cost was $7,950.  It was eventually turned down in 1871.

     The second bridge at this site was opened in 1872.  It was tubular iron arch swing bridge hand turned..  There was center pier and turntable supporting the superstructure.    This resulted in a 150  foot double arch swing bridge.  It had an 18 foot roadway.  There were two six foot sidewalks.  It was designed and built by the King Iron Bridge Company.  Cost was $17,362.

     In 1882, the bridge was severely damaged in a collision with the Schooner B. Wavel.   It was subsequently repaired.  

     In June, 1892, the bridge met its demise in a collision with the Steamer Tiaga towed by the Tug Gardner.  The bridge was knocked from the turn table and damaged.  The wreckage was removed.  

     For two years, a temporary pontoon bridge was used at this location.

        The city of Chicago was unable to obtain approval for a third permanent swing bridge at the Halsted Street site.  In the planning stages for a replacement, there were significant disagreements among, the city of Chicago, the Sanitary District and the Commissioner of Public Works.  Finally, agreement was reached.  It was a somewhat unusual in that the design selected was virtually untested.  The selection was a Waddell vertical lift bridge–this was to be the first large scale version in the world.

     The bridge consisted of 160 foot through truss which spanned the river between two 220 foot high towers  There were steel cables on each side attached to the bridge, running over both towers and attached to the counterweights.  The bridge was powered by two steam engines later replaced by electric motors.

     The bridge opened on March 22, 1894.  It was designed by J.A. Waddell.  It was constructed by the Pittsburgh Bridge Company.  Construction cost was $242,880.

     The bridge was plagued by frequent mechanical problems and high cost of operation.  In December of 1931, it was closed and removed by Strobel Steel Construction Company.

     While the new permanent bridge was being built,a temporary swing bridge was constructed.   Contractor was John C. Paskins for a cost of $167,169.  The bridge was removed In 1934.

Inspection Current Bridge (12/2012)

Deck                         Condition                       Rating    Satisfactory 6 out 9

Superstructure      Condition                      Rating    Fair 5 out of 9

Substructure          Condition                     Rating.    Satisfactory 6 out 9

Sufficiency Rating 64 out of 100

Photos added 4/10/2018

 Posted 12/19/2017

    The Loomis Street (1400 West; 2470 South) crosses North to South over the South Branch Chicago River 5.3 miles from the river mouth. It is a metal double leaf bascule (fixed trunnion) bridge.  This bridge was the first use of welded box girders.

     The bridge opened in 1978.  Its main span measures 213 feet. The structure length is 457 feet.The roadway width is 48 feet.  There is one main span and four approach spans.

   The bridge was designed by City Architect Jerome Butler, Jr. and Chief Bridge Engineer  Henry Ecole.  Construction Contractors are unknown.

     The bridge was designed to carry the extra traffic flow from the closure of the Throop Street Bridge (one block south).

     The first bridge at the Loomis Street Site opened April 30, 1888.  It was a wood and iron hand operated swing bridge.  It was 200 feet long and 30 feet wide.  The designer is unknown.  Superstructure Contractor was Shailer and Schniglau.  Substructure Contractor was Chicago Dredge and Dock Company. Construction cost was $91,183. The bridge was removed In 1904.

    The second bridge at this site opened on October 17, 1904.  It was a steel electric powered Scherzer Rolling lift bascule.  The bridge was 178 feet in length  and 58 feet wide.

     The bridge was designed by Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Company.  Superstructure Contractor was Jackson and Corbett Company. Substructure Contractor was Lydon and Drews Company.  Building cost was $231,249.

     During the 1960’s, this was the most frequently operated Chicago River Bridge.  The bridge was removed In 1977.

Bridge Inspection ( 12/2012)

Deck                            Condition                  Rating     Fair  5 out of 9

Superstructure        Condition                  Rating.    Poor 4 out of 9

Substructure.           Condition.                Rating.    Satisfactory. 6 out 9

Appraisal:  Structurally Defficient

Photos added 3/9/2018
 

 

     Following two photos taken 9/21/2018.  All images are copyrighted