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Clark Street Bridge |
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| Key Facts |
| Bridge Name | Facility Carried / Feature Intersected | Location | Structure Type | Construction Date and Builder/Engineer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Clark Street Bridge
| Clark Street Over Chicago River | Chicago: Cook County, Illinois | Metal Rivet-Connected Pratt Pony Truss, Movable: Bascule (Fixed Trunnion) and Approach Spans: Metal Stringer (Multi-Beam), Fixed | 1929 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 |
| 1985 | 245.4 Feet (74.8 Meters) | 346 Feet (105.5 Meters) | 38.1 Feet (11.6 Meters) | 1 | 3 | 16601027335 |
This bridge is quite similar to the nearby
La Salle Street Bridge. It is somewhat
similar to
Franklin Street. However, this bridge shares
the common trait with La Salle in that the taller ends of the bridges feature more
round-shaped ends than Franklin Street. The
Grand Avenue
Bridge is an example of a bridge from the older "second generation" of
bascule bridges that utilizes this same general design, but
has a more clunky appearance with less curving of the top chord. The Clark Street Bridge
has lost its original ornate railings, unlike the aforementioned Franklin Street and La Salle Street bridges.
Clark, Franklin and La Salle Street Bridges are perhaps the three most
aesthetically pleasing examples of the pony truss bascule bridge in Chicago. The
unusual, eye-catching shape that the trusses form is made truly beautiful with
the graceful curve of the top chord, and the bridgetender buildings for these
bridges are among the more ornate and well-preserved examples in Chicago.
Chicago did a wonderful job replicating the original railings on the Michigan Avenue Bridge, and HistoricBridges.org suggests that the Clark Street Bridge's railings should be replicated in the same way, since aside from the loss of these railings, the bridge has excellent historic integrity and this already beautiful bridge would once again be truly stunning with the ornate railings back in place.
The Clark Street Bridge was built in 1929. The contractors for the bridge are listed on the plaque, and include Fitzsimons and Connell Dredge and Dock Co., Ketler-Elliot Co., Norwood-Noonan Co., and M. J. Boyle and Co.
Another plaque near the bridge reads "Project Completed 1931," suggesting that some part of the bridge or something near the bridge did not get done in 1929 and took a couple more years to finish.
The two bridge construction photos directly below, although not explicitly labeled in the periodical, show the construction of what is believed to be the Clark Street Bridge (as opposed to the very similar La Salle Street Bridge), based on the Wells Street Bridge visible in the background as the next closest bridge.
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Main Plaque N. CLARK ST. BRIDGECITY OF CHICAGO 1929 WM. HALE THOMPSON MAYOR RICHARD W. WOLFE COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC WORKS
LEON KORDELL RESIDENT ENGINEER CHICAGO PLAN COMMISSION
HUGH E. YOUNG, CHIEF ENGINEER CONTRACTORS FITZSIMONS & CONNELL DREDGE & DOCK CO.
M. J. BOYLE & CO. |
Bridge Completion Plaque PROJECT COMPLETED1931 ANTON J. CERMAK MAYOR ALBERT A. SPRAGUE COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC WORKS |
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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.
General Chicago / Cook County Bridge ResourcesView Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Overview of Chicago Bascule Bridges (HAER Data Pages, PDF)
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