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Roosevelt Road Bridge12th 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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Roosevelt Road Bridge
12th Street Bridge | Roosevelt Road Over South Branch Chicago River | Chicago: Cook County, Illinois | Metal Rivet-Connected Pratt Deck Truss, Movable: Bascule (Fixed Trunnion) and Approach Spans: Metal Stringer (Multi-Beam), Fixed | 1928 By Builder/Contractor: Ketler-Elliott Company of Chicago, Illinois and Engineer/Design: City of Chicago |
| Technical Facts |
| Rehabilitation Date | Main Span Length | Structure Length | Roadway Width | Main Spans | Approach Spans | NBI Number |
| 1994 | 204 Feet (62.2 Meters) | 257.6 Feet (78.5 Meters) | 71.9 Feet (21.9 Meters) | 1 | 2 | 16604726651 |
Roosevelt
Road was originally known as 12th Street. This bridge is an example of a Chicago Pratt truss bascule
bridge that is a true deck truss, where the truss does not partially extend
above the deck and is also not a double-deck truss. There are only a few bridges
of this type in Chicago, and the Roosevelt Road is perhaps most similar to the
Ohio Street Bridge. Perhaps the most striking feature of the bridge is the
two beautiful circular-shaped bridgetender buildings that feature decorative
sculptures set into the buildings. These round buildings are unlike bridgetender
buildings found elsewhere in Chicago, and they are very pleasing aesthetically.
Large plaques mounted on the buildings are themselves curved so as to conform to
the round shape of the buildings. The buildings appear to be in excellent
condition.
A very long (over 1000 feet total) length of viaduct provides an approach to the bridge. The viaduct approach structures are not considered part of the historic bridge as they appear to have been extensively altered and/or reconstructed.
The bridge carries the very busy Roosevelt Road, with an Average Daily Traffic of 37.000. The Roosevelt Road Bridge's truss superstructure has been extensively built-up and strengthened during rehabilitation, which occurred in 1994. Numerous rivets have been replaced with bolts on the truss. These alterations have diminished the historic integrity of the truss, however the bridge does score very high structural evaluation ratings on the National Bridge Inventory suggesting that these alterations did extend the life of the bridge considerably. As of 2010 there is some rust forming on the truss however. If Chicago DOT continues its track record, it is likely the bridge will be repainted in the maroon paint color the city uses on all of its most recent bridge repainting projects.
Photo Credit: Patrick Hynes
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Main Plaque ROOSEVELT ROAD BRIDGE WM HALE THOMPSON RICHARD W. WOLFE
CHICAGO PLAN COMMISSION
CONTRACTORS FITZSIMONS & CONNELL DREDGE & DOCK CO.
NORWOOD - NOONAN CO C. E. CARSON CO. |
River Straightening Plaque RIVER STRAIGHTENING WM HALE THOMPSON RICHARD W. WOLFE EDWARD F. MOORE
COMMITTEE ON RAILWAY TERMINALS
CHICAGO PLAN COMMISSION
HUGH E. YOUNG, CHIEF ENGINEER GREAT LAKES DREDGE & DOCK CO. CONTRACTOR |
Bridge Rehabilitation Plaque ROOSEVELT ROAD BASCULE BRIDGE RESTORATION 1994 CITY OF CHICAGO RICHARD M. DALEY, MAYOR |
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