Jefferson Street Bridge

"Eastbound US-30 Bridge"

Bridge Documented: August 12, 2006

View Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Documentation For This Bridge

Introduction to Joliet

Chicago may be the bascule bridge capital of the world, but no tour of bascule bridges is complete without a trip down to Joliet, where the Scherzer rolling lift bascule bridge outnumbers the Chicago trunnion style bascule bridge. There are four Scherzer rolling lift style highway bridges in Joliet, whereas the Chicago only contributes one highway example. Of these four examples in Joliet, they can be grouped into two general styles, those with wide decks such as the Jefferson Street Bridge and those with narrower decks such as the McDonough Street Bridge. Due to the similarity of the structures, I picked the Jefferson Street Bridge to include a more detailed overview of these bridges in general. I selected this bridge because I have more photos of it than the other bridges. I was lucky enough to be near this bridge when it raised for a barge, and so I have many photos of this bridge being raised. Also, ironically, Joliet picked this bridge to place a small informative plaque discussing their bridges. These plaques were placed with the revitalization of the downtown area that has taken place over the last 10-15 years. It was probably was chosen to bear the plaque because it's a bit more accessible to pedestrians the nearby Cass Street Bridge and other structures in town.

It is also worth noting that replacing these beautiful bridges in Joliet is discussed occasionally. Nothing has ever come of it however. It is imperative that nothing ever comes of it, as these structures are all historically significant and worthy of preservation.

Joliet's Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridges

These bridges have a similar truss design to the trunnion bridges of downtown Chicago like the Clark Street Bridge in that the trusses have that unusual "U" shape that you see when these bridges are in the closed position. They differ in that the trusses are taller, and lead up to a concrete counterweight that is present above the roadway rather than hidden below. These counterweights are held stable on the bridge via trussed towers that extend past the concrete counterweight at the far ends of the bridge, much in the way vertical lift bridges like Ontario's Glendale Avenue Bridge, although those towers are much taller. The rolling lift action is very visible on these bridges, and you can easily see the part that the bridge rolls on directly below the counterweight. These bridges have unusual cantilevered plates of steel that hold electrical wires and allow them to span across the river above the bridge. This design limits the height of boats that can pass under the bridge. This was not an issue as the taller Great Lakes freighters and tall sailboats never came down this section of river. Most of these bridges in Joliet have these beautiful arches that appear at the center of the bridge and at the approach to the bridge. These are likely for cable-cars/trolleys that once would have crossed the bridge. Cass Street's arches have a slightly different v-lacing and lattice configuration to them. Today these arches only serve as decorative elements, adding a gateway-like feel to the bridge. V-lacing and lattice can be found on select parts of the bridges. Connections on the bridge are all riveted. The bridge-tenders houses are original, and are not as fancy and ornate as the downtown Chicago bridges. With these bridges in Joliet, the actual bridge is the artwork, rather than the buildings that control them. The bridges are so large, the bridge-tenders houses are actually hard to see most of the time. Two of the bridges in Joliet feature builder plaques that credit the Mississippi Valley Structural Steel Company with building the bridges. I am unsure if this company did the work for the bridges that do not have plaques. The bridges retain original railings that have a decorative design to them. These bridges continue to operate today, and not just in the Spring and Fall like the bridges of downtown Chicago.

Going Up - They Don't Build Them Like They Used To

I wish I could have taken some video as well as still photos of this bridge raising. I couldn't believe how fast this double-lead bridge raised! Sure, Michigan's 7th Street Bridge in Port Huron is also fast, but it is single-leaf and doesn't require any alignment when being raised or lowered. Also in Port Huron is the double-leaf 1991 non-historic Military Street Bridge, which at 144 feet is a tiny bridge in comparison to Jefferson Street, and in my opinion is a joke. This bridge takes forever to raise and lower! So much for newer being better! These historic bridges in Joliet are better than any new bridge that might be built today.