Wells Street Bridge (Chicago)
| Wells Street Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Wells Street Bridge raised to allow sailboats to pass | |
| Coordinates | 41°53′15″N 87°38′02″W / 41.88750°N 87.63389°WCoordinates: 41°53′15″N 87°38′02″W / 41.88750°N 87.63389°W |
| Carries |
Automobiles Elevated Trains Pedestrians |
| Crosses | Chicago River |
| Locale | Chicago, Cook County, Illinois |
| Official name | Wells Street Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Double-deck, double-leaf bascule bridge |
| History | |
| Designer | E. H. Bennett |
| Opened | February 11, 1922 |
The Wells Street Bridge is a bascule bridge over the Chicago River, in downtown Chicago, Illinois, United States, which was built in 1922. Standing east of the Franklin Street Bridge and southeast of the Merchandise Mart, the bridge connects the Near North Side with "The Loop." The bridge is double-decked, the lower deck carrying three lanes of traffic south over the river with sidewalks on both sides of the street. The upper deck serves as a bridge for the Chicago Transit Authority's Brown and Purple lines. Control houses for controlling the bridge are on the northwest and southeast corners of the bridge.
The bridge was constructed during the first term of William Hale Thompson. The Chicago Plan Commission and Chicago Art Commission provided design input to architect E. H. Bennett.
The bridge is being completely rebuilt 2012-2013 by the Chicago Department of Transportation.[1][2] The two leaves (north and south) are being built off-site and floated on the river to Wells Street for installation.[3] The other half of the bridge is being rebuilt in place – the two portions closest to each river bank, containing the counterweights for the bascule bridge.[4]
The second period of the reconstruction that affects Chicago Transit Authority train service on the upper level began at 10 pm April 26, 2013 and ended before the morning rush hour Monday May 6, 2013. The north leaf of the bridge was installed in the nine day period, again floating the section on the Chicago River from its construction site to the bridge. Repairs will continue until November 2013, when the lower level of the bridge will reopen to vehicles and pedestrians.[5] The bridge tender houses are also part of the rehabilitation of the bridge.[6]
See also
References
- ↑ Jon Hilkevitch (2012-10-30). "Wells Street Bridge Reconstruction". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
- ↑ "Wells Street Bridge Reconstruction". Customer Alerts. Chicago Transit Authority. 2013.
- ↑ Chicago Dept of Transportation (1 March 2013). "Video Illustration of the Wells Street Bridge Reconstruction". City of Chicago tv. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
- ↑ Cynthia Dizikes (1 March 2013). "Crews prepare for intensive surgery on Wells Street Bridge". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2013-04-26.
- ↑ Rachel Levy (26 April 2013). "CTA outlines changes for 2nd closing of Wells Street bridge (related photo & maps)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2013-04-26.
- ↑ "A Historic Look at the Changing Leaves on the Wells Street Bridge". Chicago Architecture Blog. 26 April 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-26.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wells Street Bridge (Chicago). |
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. IL-52, "Chicago River Bascule Bridge, Wells Street, Spanning South Branch Chicago River at North Wells Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL"
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