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Note: This modern bridge is not historic. This page is provided for reasons of comparison and continuity of downtown Chicago listings only.
This bridge was built in 1984. HistoricBridges.org has a strict policy to not include any bridge newer than 1970, however a rare exception was made with two bridges in the downtown Loop area of Chicago so that those planning a tour of the Loop bridges can get information on all Loop bridges from HistoricBridges.org and also not be confused by gaps in the tour.
Including this non-historic bridge on HistoricBridges.org is also an opportunity to make a comparison to the historic bridges. There is a stark difference between even the younger 1960s bascule bridges in Chicago and this non-historic bridge. The extremely simplistic superstructure of the bridge as well as a lack of adornment on bridgetender buildings makes the modern bridges rather plain and non-descript compared to the intricate beauty of the historic bascule bridges in Chicago. This is a trend seen in all bridges nationwide. Beauty and aesthetics are rarely given genuine attention in modern bridge construction. This is why the preservation of historic bridges is essential, since beyond the heritage value of the bridges, historic bridges are so much more beautiful.
The first documented bridge over the South Branch Chicago was built just north of Randolph Street in 1833. It was a floating bridge built with rough logs for $486.20. In 1849, the a new bridge was built. In 1864, the bridge was again rebuilt with superstructure contractor being L. B. Boomer. In 1874, the Keystone Bridge Company built a steam-powered iron swing bridge at the location. The bridge that preceded the existing bridge was a rolling lift bascule bridge built in 1903 with the American Bridge Company as superstructure contractor.
The Chicago Department of Transportation's Michelle Woods was kind enough to arrange a few moments out of her very busy schedule to give HistoricBridges.org a brief tour of the Lake Street Bridge's bridge tender house control room and machinery basement, following a similar tour provided to a school group. In addition, for comparison, a brief visit to the control room of the nearby modern Randolph Street Bridge provided a comparison to how the control rooms have changed from the era of the historic bridges to the modern bridges. The tour of the control room is available as one of the photo galleries for the Randolph Street Bridge. Here in the Randolph Street Bridge, the few levers and pedals that control the bridge have been replaced by a single all-in-one control panel with push buttons used to control the movement of the bridge.
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Main Plaque RANDOLPH STREET BRIDGE1984 CITY OF CHICAGO HAROLD WASHINGTON MAYOR JEROME R. BUTLER COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC WORKS LOUIS KONCZA CITY ENGINEER RONALD BRONSON CHIEF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEER ALBERT BAKER ASST. CHIEF ENGINEER TED KACZKOWSKI ACT'G CHIEF BRIDGE ENGINEER ROBERT W. SOLDAN PROJECT MANAGER BRUCE WORTHINGTON RESIDENT ENGINEER DESIGNED BY: CITY OF CHICAGO, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS CONSULTANT: HAZELET & ERDAL, CONSULTING ENGINEERS CONTRACTOR: KENNY CONSTRUCTION COMPANY |
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.
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Bridgehunter.com: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.
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