|
Key Facts |
Bridge Name | Type | Road | Location | City | Crossing |
|
Division Street Western Bridge |
Bascule (Truss) |
Division Avenue |
Cook County, IL |
Chicago |
Chicago River North Branch |
|
Technical Facts |
|
Construction Date |
Rehabilitation Date |
Structure Length | Roadway Width | Approach Spans | Navigational Vertical Clearance |
| 1904 | 1992 | 260 Feet | 39 Feet | 4 Steel Stringers | 17.7 Feet |
This is one of Chicago's oldest surviving highway bascule bridges. The bridge was the fourth bridge built in the city according to the first bascule bridge design, which was a complex part-through truss design as seen here. This bridge was similar to the lost North Avenue Bridge. The the loss of that bridge, I feel that the preservation of this bridge should go without thinking. As it stands, it appears to be in decent shape. I hope the city will look at rehabilitation options when the bridge starts to need work done, since these bridges are what part of what make Chicago so unique. In particular, these remaining bridges on the North Branch of the Chicago River, among the oldest of Chicago's bridges, are essential to preserve. The superstructure for this bridge was built by Roemheld & Gallery and the Fitzsimmons and Connell Company (both of Chicago) constructed the substructure.
