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Cermak Road Bridge

22nd Street Bridge

Cermak Road Bridge

Primary Photographer(s): Nathan Holth

Bridge Documented: August 12, 2006 and 2011

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Facility Carried / Feature Intersected
Cermak Road Over South Branch Chicago River
Location
Chicago: Cook County, Illinois: United States
Structure Type
Metal Rivet-Connected Pratt Through Truss, Movable: Double Leaf Bascule (Rolling Lift) and Approach Spans: Metal Stringer (Multi-Beam), Fixed
Construction Date and Builder / Engineer
1906 By Builder/Contractor: George W. Jackson of Chicago, Illinois and Engineer/Design: Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Company of Chicago, Illinois
Rehabilitation Date
1997
Main Span Length
216.0 Feet (65.8 Meters)
Structure Length
337.0 Feet (102.7 Meters)
Roadway Width
36 Feet (10.97 Meters)
Spans
1 Main Span(s) and 4 Approach Span(s)
Inventory Number
16600727337

Historic Significance Rating (HSR)
View Information About HSR Ratings

Bridge Documentation

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

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

HAER Data Pages, PDF

View Short Biography of Contractor George W. Jackson

View A Second Short Biography of Contractor George W. Jackson

View The Chicago Landmark Designation Report For This Landmark District

Cermak Road Bridge Raised

Cermak Road was originally known as 22nd Street. This bridge was designed by Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Company. Today this type of movable bridge is in fact known as a Scherzer rolling lift bascule bridge. In Chicago, where the city usually built trunnion bascule bridges, this is the only remaining example of this bridge type on Chicago's roads. The city preferred the trunnion bascule bridge over the rolling lift bridge because rolling lift bridges shift the dead load on the abutments, which tends to wear out and damage the abutments over time on the unstable soil conditions that were found in Chicago. The city became very adept at designing trunnion bascule bridges, and so nearly all of the trunnion bascule bridges in Chicago were designed in-house by the city. The Cermak Road Bridge however, as a rolling lift bridge, was not designed by the city, but was designed by the Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Company which obviously specialized in the rolling lift design.

The superstructure contractor for this bridge was George W. Jackson, Inc. of Chicago which was also listed in the Annual Report of the Department of Public Works under the name of Jackson and Corbett Bridge and Steel Company. The substructure contractor was Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company of Chicago.

Much like the Kinzie Street Bridge, a large amount of original bridge material has been removed and replaced in-kind. As such, while the bridge has lost integrity of original materials, it retains integrity of design and function.

While the primary goal with any historic bridge should be to preserve as much original material as possible, whenever something is replaced, it should be the goal to replace in-kind with as accurate a replica as possible. While it would be nice to see a greater quantity of original material on this bridge, this is nevertheless a good example of how a bridge beyond repair or nearly beyond repair might still be able to display the features which give it historic value. The only major shortcoming of the replacement is that standard high strength bolts were used instead of rivets. If rivets were used it appears it would be a perfect replication. From an aesthetic standpoint, the city could have partially simulated the appearance of rivets by using round head bolts which would make the bolts look more like rivets than the hex heads on the standard bolts the city used.

George W. Jackson

The previous and first documented bridge at this location was built in 1871 as an iron/wood combination bridge by Fox and Howard. It was 210 feet long and 32 feet wide.

Cermak Road Bridge RehabilitationCermak Road Bridge

Cermak Road BridgeCermak Road Bridge

Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Company AdvertisementGeorge W. Jackson Company AdvertisementIsham Randolph

George W. Jackson Company Advertisement

Main Plaque

ERECTED BY

SANITARY DISTRICT OF CHICAGO

1906

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

ROBERT R. MCCORMICK
PRESIDENT

WILLIAM H. BAKER
ADOLPH BERGMAN
WALLACE G. CLARK
FRANK X. CLOIDT
HENRY F. EIDMANN
ANTON NOVAK
GEO. W. PAULLIN
EDWD. I. WILLIAMS

ISHAM RANDOLPH
CHIEF ENGINEER

  George W. JacksonGeorge W. JacksonGeorge W. Jackson

Information and Findings About Cermak Road Bridge District From Chicago Landmarks Designation

General Information

Address: Cermak Road, predominantly between Grove and Jefferson Sts.
Year Built: 1901 - 1924
Architect: Various
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: April 26, 2006

This small district is the finest intact, early 20th-century riverfront industrial precinct in Chicago. It is an especially significant ensemble of four large industrial buildings, clustered around the Cermak Road Bridge, which is the City's last-remaining double leaf Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge. The District commemorates the importance of the Chicago River in the economic development of the City and conveys how the interconnected river and rail network made Chicago a national center of commerce. Individually, the buildings are fine examples of early 20th-century industrial architecture, and collectively they represent an almost vanished aspect of Chicago's historical industrial streetscapes.

This Bridge Contributes To A Designated Chicago Landmark District

Visit The Chicago Landmarks Website

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Historic Bridges of Chicago and Cook County

Flag of Chicago Seal of Cook County

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.

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Photo Galleries and Videos: Cermak Road Bridge

 

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Structure Overview

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Structure Details

Original / Full Size Photos
A collection of detail photos that document the parts, construction, and condition of the bridge. This gallery offers photos in the highest available resolution and file size in a touch-friendly popup viewer.
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Structure Overview

Mobile Optimized Photos
A collection of overview photos that show the bridge as a whole and general areas of the bridge. This gallery features data-friendly, fast-loading photos in a touch-friendly popup viewer.
Alternatively, Browse Without Using Viewer

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View Photo Gallery

Structure Details

Mobile Optimized Photos
A collection of detail photos that document the parts, construction, and condition of the bridge. This gallery features data-friendly, fast-loading photos in a touch-friendly popup viewer.
Alternatively, Browse Without Using Viewer

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Maps and Links: Cermak Road 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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