The Chicago Traveler

Today, a friend of mine is driving up to Madison, Wisconsin, and his trip inspired me to write about the Madison Street Bridge here in Chicago, also known as the Lyric Opera Bridge, near Riverside Plaza. Completed in 1922 and rehabilitated in 1994, this was the first bascule bridge in Chicago to raise the deck trusses above the deck to act as guardrails.1 (A bascule bridge is the movable type of drawbridge which people are probably most familiar with, in which a counterweight balances the span of the bridge, allowing it to swing at an angle. An animated example can …read more

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The Columbus Drive Bridge may not look like much, but it is actually the second-longest bascule bridge in the world. (If you happen to know which is the longest, I’d love to hear from you. I had difficulty finding this information.) A bascule bridge is the movable type of drawbridge which people are probably most familiar with, in which a counterweight balances the span of the bridge, allowing it to swing upward at an angle. An animated example can be found here. Completed in 1983, the bridge is 269 feet long (82 m) and cost $33 million to build.

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It’s time to say good-bye to 2007. The year has treated me very well. I moved to a new apartment, did some traveling, and, best of all, began writing The Chicago Traveler! Many thanks to Mary Jo and everyone at b5media who has been so welcoming and helpful.
Even though The Chicago Traveler is only a few months old, let’s take a look back at the ten most popular articles of this year.
10. Abegweit. Resting peacefully on Lake Michigan, this beautiful ship was once the most powerful icebreaker in the world.
9. Let’s Boogie Records & Tapes. This music store on the …read more

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Today’s post actually isn’t about a current architectural marvel, but rather, one that no longer exists. The North Avenue Bridge was a bascule bridge constructed in 1907. It was 273 feet long (83 m) and had a roadway width of 36 feet (11 m). Chicago played an important role in the development of this type of bridge, and the North Avenue connection was one of the oldest in the city. Unfortunately, it suffered from years of decay, and with just one lane in each direction, it wasn’t truly capable of handling the amount of traffic that goes through that area …read more

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One of the oldest bridges crossing the Chicago River is the Grand Avenue Bridge, just around the corner from Snob Hounds. Built in 1913, this bascule bridge is a bit clunkier than some of its younger siblings but is still just as useful and admirable. (A bascule bridge is the movable type of drawbridge which people are probably most familiar with, in which a counterweight balances the span of the bridge, allowing it to swing upward at an angle. An animated example can be found here.) It is about 270 feet (82 m) long but only 190 feet (58 m) …read more

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Today’s article was going to be dedicated to one of Chicago’s oldest bridges, but then I realized… what about the River beneath it? At 156 miles (251 km) long, it is not impressively large. However, the Chicago River is a significant piece of the city nonetheless, an incredible example of Chicago’s 19th century civil engineering. What makes the Chicago River so incredible? It flows backwards.
Initially, the Chicago River flowed from west to east into Lake Michigan. But as Chicago continued to boom, sewage being dumped into the river would end up in the lake, which was the city’s drinking water …read more

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