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A number of Chicago bridges have most of the trusses below the deck yet part of those trusses remain above the deck as in the State Street Bridge meaning the bridge has some characteristics of a deck truss as well as a pony truss, and were known as railing height trusses. The Adams Street Bridge is however one of the bridges in which the trusses are completely below the deck, making it a true deck truss. This configuration allows the trusses to be more visible to people rather than partially obscured by the deck of the bridge.
Because this bridge was built in a congested area with additional obstacles such as a railroad along the west side of the river the construction details for the trunnion and counterweight pit are not identical at each end, since engineers had to work around unique constraints at each end of the bridge. The 1926 Annual Report of the Public Works indicated that contractors also had to work around two buildings (described as the Farwell building and Ryerson building) that sat directly next to the abutments for the east end of the bridge. Some of the supports for the Ryerson buildings were modified to accommodate the bridge, while the Farwell building received a new foundation.
The bridge replaced a center pier swing bridge at this location.
The clear span of the bridge is 173 Feet with the trunnion-to-trunnion length being 199 feet. The bridge is 64 feet wide. Navigational vertical clearance is 15.74 Feet.
In 1955 Adams Street was converted into a one way road, which made the street the westbound alignment for US-66. As such, this bridge is today a part of Historic Route 66.
In 2012, the sidewalk decks were replaced. At the time, the decks were reinforced concrete. The new sidewalk deck is a lightweight fiberglass material that has been employed on other Chicago bridges in recent years. The curb railings, which did not appear to be original and were as tall as the original sidewalk railings, were replaced. The new curb guardrails are a low profile two-tube guardrail.
A 1949 photo of the bridge tender house control room interior that included labels is shown above. Click the image to view an enlarged image where the labels are legible.
August 26, 2012 marked the 85th anniversary for this bridge. Click here to view a press release article about the 85th Anniversary from Chicago Loop Bridges.
Long ago, it may have been more obvious, but it is hard to tell today that immediately west of the bascule bridge is an approach viaduct that carries Adams Street over the many railroad tracks at Union Station, specifically, the tracks at the north side of the station. As of 2013, apparently a project is being planned to rehabilitate and replace portions of this approach viaduct. These changes are not planned to alter the historic significance of the bascule bridge however.
The first documented bridge at Adams Street was built in 1869 as a hand-turned iron/wood combination bridge by Fox and Howard. The bridge was 160 feet long and 31 feet wide. It was destroyed by the Great Fire of 1871.
Above: This photo shows the second documented Adams Street Bridge. It was built in 1872 by the Keystone Bridge Company. The hand-turned iron swing bridge was 160 feet long and 32 feet wide.
Above: These photos include views of the third documented Adams Street Bridge, which preceded the existing bascule bridge. This bridge was built in 1889 and was a steel swing bridge built by the King Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio. The bridge was 259 feet long and 59 feet wide.
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Main Plaque WM HALE THOMPSONMAYOR
CHICAGO PLAN COMMISSION BENNETT PARSONS & FROST CONSULTING ARCHITECTS CHICAGO CHAPER OF AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS ILLINOIS SOCIETY OF ARCHITECTS CHICAGO ART COMMISSON
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