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Webster Avenue Bridge

Webster Avenue Bridge

Primary Photographer(s): Nathan Holth

Bridge Documented: May 31, 2009 - April 10, 2019

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Facility Carried / Feature Intersected
Webster Avenue Over North Branch Chicago River
Location
Chicago: Cook County, Illinois: United States
Structure Type
Metal Rivet-Connected Pratt Pony Truss, Movable: Double Leaf Bascule (Fixed Trunnion) and Approach Spans: Metal Stringer (Multi-Beam), Fixed
Construction Date and Builder / Engineer
1916 By Builder/Contractor: Ketler-Elliott Company of Chicago, Illinois and Engineer/Design: City of Chicago
Rehabilitation Date
1993
Main Span Length
189.0 Feet (57.6 Meters)
Structure Length
287.0 Feet (87.5 Meters)
Roadway Width
36 Feet (10.97 Meters)
Spans
1 Main Span(s) and 4 Approach Span(s)
Inventory Number
16605726648

Historic Significance Rating (HSR)
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Bridge Documentation

View Archived National Bridge Inventory Report - Has Additional Details and Evaluation

View A Historical Thesis Paper Discussing The Webster Avenue Bridge

About This Bridge

The Webster Avenue Bridge is an example of the oldest style of pony bascule bridge in Chicago. It displays the less smooth curve to its trusses. Neighboring Ashland Avenue Bridge, with its second generation design featuring smooth truss curves is a good contrast.

This bridge is a member of the greatest collection of historic bascule bridges on the planet, which is located in the city Chicago and Cook County. The fact that Chicago is a city with such a large, record-breaking number of bascule bridges, and most of them considered historic, is something the city should be truly proud of. For the most part, Chicago has been a model for historic bridge preservation, especially with the bridges in the downtown area. They have chosen to maintain, and rehabilitate as needed, their historic bridges for the continuous heavy traffic one might expect in the nation's third largest city. The fact that so many of these bridges remain functional and historically intact as well sends a message to other cities and even rural locations who claim that historic bridges cannot serve the needs of modern day traffic.

Webster Avenue BridgeWebster Avenue Bridge Partially Raised

A historical thesis paper written about tests students did on the bridge includes a photo where a C. H. Norwood plaque is visible on the electrical equipment indicating that this firm was the electrical contractor for the bridge. Also shown in this paper are photos showing the original bridge tender houses, which have since been severely altered. The superstructure contractor for the bridge was Ketler-Elliott Company of Chicago, Illinois and the substructure contractor was Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company of Chicago, Illinois.

The previous bridge at this location (also the first documented bridge at this location) was a wooden through truss swing bridge. It was an iron/wood combination hand-turned swing bridge that was built in 1872 to carry Clark Street over the Main Branch, by Fox and Howard. In 1889, it was moved and reused as a bridge at Webster Avenue. as a The design appears to have been similar to some of the other long-gone bridges on this section of the river, many of which were also built by Fox and Howard.

Webster Avenue Bridge Bridge Tender House

Comments On The Future of This and Other Chicago Bridges

While Chicago is a leader in historic bridge preservation downtown, how do the city's historic bridges fare out away from the core of the city? Their conditions vary widely, some remain in excellent condition, while others show need of rehabilitation. How does the city's commitment to preservation stand outside of the downtown? This remains to be seen for certain, with initial evidence pointing in both directions. Certainly, nearby Cortland Street Bridge displays a commitment to preservation, having been continuously maintained and preserved the past few years. However, it is worth noting that Ashland Avenue Bridge was not always the northernmost historic movable highway bridge in Chicago. Nearby Damen Avenue Bridge to the north was demolished and replaced with a modern through arch that, while more attractive than a normal modern bridge, does not convey Chicago's movable bridge or industrial heritage, and does not blend into the context of Chicago bridges or the canalized river in which they cross. It is impossible to make a connection to Chicago's past, or the canal's past with this new bridge.

Webster Avenue Bridge Trunnion

Many of the movable bridges on the North Branch and South Branch (Sanitary Canal) of Chicago River are unlike those on the main branch and downtown Chicago. In addition, some of the oldest and most historic bascule bridges are on the North Branch. It is essential that these outlying bridges be preserved alongside the core downtown movable bridges. Moving forward, if Chicago wishes to maintain its image as the worldwide capital of bascule bridges, and if it also wishes to maintain its image as one of this nation's great Historic Bridge Cities alongside cities like Pittsburgh, a long-term preservation plan for its remaining historic bascule bridges should be put in place, especially for these bridges that sit outside of the downtown loop.

Previous Webster Avenue Bridge

As of 2014, Chicago Department of Transportation is reportedly making plans to rehabilitate this bridge. The work would include replacement of lateral bracing, deck stringers, and floor beams. The deck would be replaced with a solid concrete deck and trusses would be strengthened to accommodate the heavier deck. Reportedly, everything remaining of the bridge tender houses above the deck will be demolished, but everything below the deck level from the bridge tender houses would remain. If plans move forward, the work could begin as soon as Fall 2014.

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Historic Bridges of Chicago and Cook County

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Complete Bridge List

Chicago and Cook County are home to one of the largest collections of historic bridges in the country, and no other city in the world has more movable bridges. HistoricBridges.org is proud to offer the most extensive coverage of historic Chicago bridges on the Internet.

General Chicago / Cook County Bridge Resources

Chicago's Bridges - By Nathan Holth, author of HistoricBridges.org, this book provides a discussion of the history of Chicago's movable bridges, and includes a virtual tour discussing all movable bridges remaining in Chicago today. Despite this broad coverage, the book is presented in a compact format that is easy to take with you and carry around for reference on a visit to Chicago. The book includes dozens of full color photos. Only $9.95 U.S! ($11.95 Canadian). Order Now Direct From The Publisher! or order on Amazon.

Chicago River Bridges - By Patrick T. McBriarty, this is a great companion to Holth's book shown above. This much larger book offers an extremely in-depth exploration of Chicago's movable highway bridges, including many crossings that have not existed for many years. Order Now Direct From The Publisher! or order on Amazon.

View Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Overview of Chicago Bascule Bridges (HAER Data Pages, PDF)

Chicago Loop Bridges - Chicago Loop Bridges is another website on the Internet that is a great companion to the HistoricBridges.org coverage of the 18 movable bridges within the Chicago Loop. This website includes additional information such as connections to popular culture, overview discussions and essays about Chicago's movable bridges, additional videos, and current news and events relating to the bridges.

Additional Online Articles and Resources - This page is a large gathering of interesting articles and resources that HistoricBridges.org has uncovered during research, but which were not specific to a particular bridge listing.


This bridge is tagged with the following special condition(s): Unorganized Photos

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Photo Galleries and Videos: Webster Avenue Bridge

 

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Bridge Photo-Documentation

Original / Full Size Photos
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Bridge Photo-Documentation

Mobile Optimized Photos
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View Photo Gallery

Additional Unorganized Photos

Original / Full Size Photos
A supplemental collection of photos that are from additional visit(s) to the bridge and have not been organized or captioned. This gallery offers photos in the highest available resolution and file size in a touch-friendly popup viewer.
Alternatively, Browse Without Using Viewer

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View Photo Gallery

Additional Unorganized Photos

Mobile Optimized Photos
A supplemental collection of photos that are from additional visit(s) to the bridge and have not been organized or captioned. This gallery features data-friendly, fast-loading photos in a touch-friendly popup viewer.
Alternatively, Browse Without Using Viewer

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View Video

Bumpercam: Eastbound Crossing

Full Motion Video
Note: The downloadable high quality version of this video (available on the video page) is well worth the download since it offers excellent 1080 HD detail and is vastly more impressive than the compressed streaming video. Streaming video of the bridge. Also includes a higher quality downloadable video for greater clarity or offline viewing.

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Maps and Links: Webster Avenue Bridge

Coordinates (Latitude, Longitude):

Search For Additional Bridge Listings:

Bridgehunter.com: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

Bridgehunter.com: View listed bridges within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of this bridge.

HistoricBridges.org Bridge Browser: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

HistoricBridges.org Bridge Browser: View listed bridges within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of this bridge.

2021 National Bridge Inventory: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

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