Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, Bridge No. 6

Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, Bridge No. 6 is a steel vertical-lift bridge consisting of two parallel spans, carrying two tracks each, across the Calumet River in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The structure is currently owned by Norfolk Southern Railway but disused and kept in a raised position.[2]

Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, Bridge No. 6
Bridge No. 6 in 1999.
Coordinates41°43′11″N 87°32′34″W
CarriesTwo tracks per span, four total
CrossesCalumet River
LocaleChicago, Illinois
Maintained byNorfolk Southern Railway
Characteristics
DesignVertical-lift bridge
MaterialSteel
Width31 feet (9.4 m) each span[1]
Longest span209.75 feet (63.9 m)[1]
No. of spansTwo parallel
History
DesignerWaddell & Harrington
Constructed byDravo Contracting Company
Construction start1912
Construction end1915
Location

The current structure replaces an earlier swing bridge on the same site, built for the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway. When the United States Army Corps of Engineers began calling for its replacement in 1909, both single- and double-leaf bascule bridge options were considered, as well as vertical-lift options. Construction began on foundations for a single, four-track vertical-lift span before changing to the two parallel two-track spans that were completed in 1915.[1]

The bridge was designated as a Chicago Landmark on December 12, 2007.[3]

See also

References

  1. Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. IL-156, "Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway, Calumet River Bridge"
  2. Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. IL-161, "Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, Bridge No. 6"
  3. Chicago Department of Housing and Economic Development, Historic Preservation Division. "Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway Bridges". Retrieved 2013-01-14.
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