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Kedzie Avenue Bridge

   

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Bridge Documented: August 12, 2006 and September 7, 2011

Primary Photographer(s): Nathan Holth

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Key Facts

	Bridge Name	Facility Carried / Feature Intersected	Location	Structure Type	Construction Date and Builder/Engineer
	Kedzie Avenue Bridge	Kedzie Avenue Over Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal	Chicago: Cook County, Illinois	Metal Through Girder, Fixed	1970 By Builder/Contractor: Unknown

Technical Facts

Main Span Length	Structure Length	Roadway Width	Main Spans	NBI Number
148.6 Feet (45.3 Meters)	350 Feet (106.7 Meters)	48 Feet (14.6 Meters)	4	16608426641

View Archived National Bridge Inventory Report - Has Additional Details and Evaluation

This bridge is a riveted through plate girder. The way the spans are arranged, and the fact that the center span has a metal grate deck make this bridge seem like it might have once been part of a movable bridge, like Western Avenue Bridge. However this bridge appears to have always been a fixed bridge. A plaque on the bridge dated 1970 refers to the construction date of this bridge. As such, this bridge is an extremely late example of a riveted plate girder. Welded and bolted girders were the standard by 1970, with rivets nearly completely retired by this time in bridge construction work. The previous bridge at this location was a through truss swing bridge. The National Bridge Inventory lists the bridge as being built in 1909 and rehabilitated in 1969. While obviously an error, one has to wonder where the 1909 date came from. It might refer to when the previous swing bridge was first constructed.

 

Thanks to Tom Winkle for providing boat transportation to assist in the photo-documentation of this historic bridge.

Main Plaque SO. KEDZIE AVE. BRIDGE 1970 CITY OF CHICAGO RICHARD J. DALEY MAYOR MILTON PIKARSKY COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC WORKS MARSHALL SULOWAY CHIEF ENGINEER GEORGE JACKSON ASST. CHIEF ENGINEER - DESIGN LOUIS KONCZA CHIEF BRIDGE ENGINEER HARRY BERNSTEIN ASST. CHIEF BRIDGE ENGINEER HARRY ZALEWSKI ASST. CHIEF ENGINEER - CONSTRUCTION

Historic Bridges of Chicago and Cook County Browse Bridges In Google Maps This special map has bridge markers colored by bridge movable type. Complete Bridge List

Chicago and Cook County are home to one of the largest collections of historic bridges in the country, and no other city in the world has more movable bridges. HistoricBridges.org is proud to offer the most extensive coverage of historic Chicago bridges on the Internet.

Chicago / Cook County Bridge News

May 15, 2013 - The Ashland Avenue Bridge over North Branch Chicago River has been recommended for Chicago Landmark designation by the Chicago Art Deco Society.

April 30, 2013 - Illinois Landmarks has included Chicago's Bascule Bridges as one of their Top 10 Most Endangered Historic Places. View The Official Page.

April, 2013 - The replacement of the outer trusses of the northern Wells Street Bridge bascule leaf is underway. The outer trusses of the southern bascule leaf has already been completed.

April 2013 - Spring Bridge Lifts Are Ongoing! The bridge lift schedule is available here.

Washington Boulevard Bridge - This bridge celebrates its 100th Anniversary on May 26, 1913! Click Here To View A Commemoration Article By ChicagoLoopBridges.com! (Alternate PDF Format)

General Chicago / Cook County Bridge Resources

Chicago's Bridges - By Nathan Holth, author of HistoricBridges.org, this book provides a discussion of the history of Chicago's movable bridges, and includes a virtual tour discussing all movable bridges remaining in Chicago today. The book includes dozens of full color photos. Only $9.95 U.S! ($11.95 Canadian). Order Now Direct From The Publisher!

View Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Overview of Chicago Bascule Bridges (HAER Data Pages, PDF)

Chicago Loop Bridges - Chicago Loop Bridges is another website on the Internet that is a great companion to the HistoricBridges.org coverage of the 18 movable bridges within the Chicago Loop. This website includes additional information such as connections to popular culture, overview discussions and essays about Chicago's movable bridges, additional videos, and current news and events relating to the bridges.

Additional Online Articles and Resources - This page is a large gathering of interesting articles and resources that HistoricBridges.org has uncovered during research, but which were not specific to a particular bridge listing.

Photos and Videos: Kedzie Avenue Bridge

Available Photo Galleries and Videos

Click on a thumbnail or gallery name below to visit that particular photo gallery. If videos are available, click on a video name to view and/or download that particular video.

 

	Bridge Photo-Documentation Original / Full Size Photos	A collection of overview and detail photos. For the best visual immersion and full detail, or for use as a desktop background, this gallery presents the photos for this bridge in the original digital camera resolution.
	Bridge Photo-Documentation Mobile Optimized Gallery	A collection of overview and detail photos. View the photos for this bridge in a reduced size which is useful for mobile/smartphone users, modem (dial-up) users, or those who do not wish to wait for the longer download times of the full-size photos. Alternatively, view this photo gallery using a popup slideshow viewer (great for mobile users) by clicking the link below. Browse Gallery With Popup Viewer

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