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95th Street Bridge |
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| Key Facts |
| Bridge Name | Facility Carried / Feature Intersected | Location | Structure Type | Construction Date and Builder/Engineer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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95th Street Bridge
| 95th Street Bridge (US-12) Over Calumet River | Chicago: Cook County, Illinois | Metal Rivet-Connected Pratt Pony Truss, Movable: Bascule (Fixed Trunnion) and Approach Spans: Metal Stringer (Multi-Beam), Fixed | 1958 By Builder/Contractor: Unknown |
| Technical Facts |
| Main Span Length | Structure Length | Roadway Width | Main Spans | Approach Spans | NBI Number |
| 239 Feet (72.8 Meters) | 343 Feet (104.5 Meters) | 62 Feet (18.9 Meters) | 1 | 4 | 16603823014 |
Some may recognize this bridge as the bridge that was
made famous when it made an appearance in the Blues Brothers movie when
the Bluesmobile jumps over
the bridge in the raised position. In the movie, the bridge was painted the
white color that the city used to paint its bridges until the city switched to
the maroon color seen today.
This is one of the latest examples of the pony truss bascule bridge design that features curved pony trusses with riveted connections as was fairly common in Chicago. The bridge was constructed in 1958. This bridge still operates for boats as do all the Calumet River bascule bridges. This bridge is a wide six lane structure. The bridge tower and abutments reflect the unadorned and perhaps somewhat streamlined architecture of the period.
The previous bridge at this location was one of the first fixed trunnion bascule bridges to be designed by Chicago. However, its on-site construction was not completed before the Cortland Street Bridge was finished, also designed around the same time, so the Cortland Street Bridge is acknowledged as the first Chicago fixed trunnion bascule bridge.
Thanks to Tom Winkle for providing boat transportation to assist in the photo-documentation of this historic bridge.
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Main Plaque EAST 95TH STREETBRIDGE THIRD AT THIS SITE --- 1958 --- CITY OF CHICAGO RICHARD J. DALEY Mayor GEORGE L. DE MENT Commissioner of Public Works DICK VAN GORP Chief Engineer STEPHEN J. MICHUDA Chief Bridge Engineer
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Chicago / Cook County Bridge NewsMay-June 2012 - Click here to view the Spring 2012 Bridge Lift Schedule. The lift season is shorter this spring due to work on the Chicago Lock, but lifts will also be more frequent.
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