|
Key Facts |
Bridge Name | Type | Road | Location | City | Crossing |
|
Canal Street Railroad Bridge |
Bascule (Truss) |
Railroad (Amtrak) |
Cook County, IL |
Chicago |
Chicago River South Branch |
|
Technical Facts |
|
Construction Date |
Main Span Length | Tower Height | Elevated Navigational Clearance | Designer |
| 1915 | 272.8 Feet | 195 Feet | 130 Feet | Waddell and Harrington |
This bridge was completed in 1915, and at the time had the heaviest lift span in the country, according to HABS HAER. I am unsure who outside of the United States might have had an even heavier span, although it could a bridge in Ontario on the Welland Canal. The bridge is currently owned by Amtrak, which was apparent by the Amtrak train stopped on the bridge for part of the time I was photographing this bridge. The bridge was originally owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad. The bridge is a vertical lift bridge built by Waddell and Harrington, and is the only such example on the Chicago River. As such, it is historically significant, and imperative to maintain since it helps enrich a Chicago tour, by ensuring that all the most common movable bridge types are around in the Chicago area for people to investigate. If this bridge were to be demolished like possible plans for the other two nearby railroad bridges, then one would have to travel down to the Calumet River to see a vertical lift bridge.
