|
Key Facts |
Bridge Name | Type | Road | Location | City | Crossing |
|
18th Street Railroad Bridges |
Bascule (Truss) |
Railroad (Various) |
Cook County, IL |
Chicago |
Chicago River South Branch |
This is the bridge that is in the lowered position in my
photos. According to HABS HAER, the St. Charles Air Line Bridge, today a CN
line, was originally 40 feet longer than it is today. Originally, its leaf was a
record setting (at the time) length of 260 feet. When built in 1919 though it
was designed to be relocated and shortened in anticipation of a future project
to move and straighten the river. When this project was completed in 1930, the
this then allowed for the bridge to be moved and shortened to its current 220
foot leaf length. The bridge is a Strauss trunnion, like most Chicago bridges.
It was fabricated by the American Bridge Company according to HABS HAER. The
operation of this bridge is rather bizarre. This bridge still operates for
boats, particularly during the spring season to allow access to a boat storage
facility. I would be really
excited if someone were willing to get a digital camera movie of this bridge in
motion. If you do contact me! Be sure to
check out my photo gallery, as I included two of HABS HAERs data pages that have
a diagram showing how the bridge moves as well as a diagram showing how the
bridge was shortened.
This is the bridge that is in the raised position in my photos. This bridge was built in 1930 after the realignment of the river. The bridge is 186 feet in length. According to HABS HAER historians for the bridge, Frances Alexander and John Nicolay, the bridge was built by the American Bridge Company. This bridge is no longer used and is permanently in the raised position. It is not as significant as the St. Charles Air Line Bridge, but is still a historic structure worthy of being a part of Chicago. It also make a nice pair with the St. Charles Air Line Bridge.
Not everyone's opinion of "beautiful" is the same, and while I personally feel that these two bridges are gorgeous geometric works of art, with their pleasingly complex arrangement of trusses that allows the mind to wander in a tangle of trusses trying to figure out how it all "works" physically, others feel that these bridges look like unused remnants of a long-gone industrial era and feel that they are no more attractive than an abandoned, crumbling warehouse. As such, there has been talk of demolishing them as residential developments are being built in the area. Some people say these bridges do not have a place in a financial-centered city filled with modern skyscrapers. But take a look at the above photo that I took, which of all my Chicago photos was one of my favorites. I think the scene here is beautiful and also is very historical. It is like seeing a timeline for Chicago, or a progression, from the industrial past in the foreground, to the financial businesses today rising up in the background. It is a beautiful contrast. And if not for possible aesthetic value, these bridges should be saved because of their historic value. These people who are so fond of the Chicago today have this industrial past to thank. Chicago's success as an industrial and railroad center were what allowed it to develop into the great city it is today. Chicago owes these bridges some respect, and should preserve them as a memorial to their less-glamorous, but equally important, past. Also, one thing that could be done to make these bridges fit in a bit better is to paint them a color that is more attractive than black. Paint them white or sky blue, and they will have a more "modern" look to it. Michigan's city of Grand Rapids reminds me of a tiny Chicago, with a nicely developed downtown with little skyscrapers. In the heart of their downtown is an old railroad bridge that they repainted and today it is an important pedestrian link in the city. Today it is a well-known landmark of the city and it fits right in with the surrounding downtown area. These bridges in Chicago could be restored in a similar way, and they could become one of the finest bridges in a city that is noted for a rich diversity of movable historic bridges. If instead demolition of these bridges is perused, the loss will be crippling, particular regarding the St. Charles Air Line Bridge, to the historic bridge world. As HABS HAER's historian for the bridge, Justin M. Spivey laments, the demolition of the St. Charles Air Line bridge will leave no trace of a bridge that once held the record for longest bascule bridge in the world.
