Grand Avenue Bridge (Chicago)

Last updated
Grand Avenue Bridge
Coordinates 41°53′29″N87°38′28″W / 41.89139°N 87.64111°W / 41.89139; -87.64111
CarriesMotor vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians on Grand Avenue
Crosses North Branch Chicago River
Locale Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Characteristics
DesignFixed-trunnion bascule bridge
History
OpenedDecember 13, 1913
Location
Grand Avenue Bridge (Chicago)

The Grand Avenue Bridge, formerly Indiana Street Bridge, [1] is a fixed-trunnion bascule bridge in Chicago, Illinois, that crosses the North Branch Chicago River. [2]

Contents

History

Before the current bridge opened in 1913, a swing bridge took the place of the current bridge. The wood and iron swing bridge opened in 1869. [3] [4] [5]

The swing bridge was dismantled in favor of a new bascule bridge, which opened on December 13, 1913. [3] [6] Months earlier, on August 15, 1913, Indiana Street was renamed to Grand Avenue as part of a citywide changes of street names. [1] [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago River</span> System of rivers and canals running through the city of Chicago

The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of 156 miles (251 km) that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center. Though not especially long, the river is notable because it is one of the reasons for Chicago's geographic importance: the related Chicago Portage is a link between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River Basin, and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Shore Drive</span> Expressway in Chicago, Illinois

Lake Shore Drive is a semi-limited access expressway that runs alongside the shoreline of Lake Michigan and its adjacent parkland and beaches in Chicago, Illinois. Except for the portion north of Foster Avenue, the Drive is designated part of U.S. Highway 41. A portion of the highway on the Outer Drive Bridge and its bridge approaches is multilevel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Near North Side, Chicago</span> Community area in Chicago

The Near North Side is the eighth of Chicago's 77 community areas. It is the northernmost of the three areas that constitute central Chicago, the others being the Loop and the Near South Side. The community area is located north and east of the Chicago River. To its east is Lake Michigan, and its northern boundary is the early 19th-century city limit of Chicago, North Avenue. In 2020 the Near North Side had 105,481 residents, surpassing Lake View as the largest Chicago community area by population. It is also the most densely populated community area and has the second most skyscrapers, after the Loop. With the exception of areas near Goose Island in the northwest, the Near North Side is known for its affluence, typified by the Gold Coast, Magnificent Mile, Navy Pier, and residential skyscrapers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadway Bridge (Portland, Oregon)</span> Bridge in Portland, Oregon

The Broadway Bridge is a Rall-type bascule bridge spanning the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, built in 1913. It was Portland's first bascule bridge, and it continues to hold the distinction of being the longest span of its bascule design type in the world. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in November 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illinois Route 64</span> State highway in northern Illinois, US

Illinois Route 64 is an east–west state highway in Northern Illinois. Its western terminus is at the Iowa state line, connecting with U.S. Route 52 (US 52) and Iowa Highway 64 via the Dale Gardner Veterans Memorial Bridge at the Mississippi River west of Savanna. IL 64 then travels east through Mount Carroll, Lanark, Mount Morris, Oregon, Sycamore, Lily Lake, Saint Charles and the western suburbs of Chicago before terminating at U.S. Route 41 on the city's north side. IL 64 is 138.61 miles (223.07 km) long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goose Island (Chicago)</span> Artificial island in Chicago, Illinois, US

Goose Island is a 160 acre artificial island in Chicago, Illinois, formed by the North Branch of the Chicago River on the west and the North Branch Canal on the east. It is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long and 0.5 miles (0.80 km) across at its widest point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Multilevel streets in Chicago</span> Tiered streets

Downtown Chicago, Illinois, has some double-decked and a few triple-decked streets immediately north and south of the Main Branch and immediately east of the South Branch of the Chicago River. The most famous and longest of these is Wacker Drive, which replaced the South Water Street Market upon its 1926 completion. The resulting bi-level street has an upper-level riverfront boulevard, a lower-level roadway for commercial and through traffic, and a recreational walkway at water level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Central Station (Chicago)</span> Train station in Chicago, Illinois, US

Grand Central Station was a passenger railroad terminal in downtown Chicago, Illinois, from 1890 to 1969. It was located at 201 West Harrison Street on a block bounded by Harrison, Wells and Polk Streets and the Chicago River in the southwestern portion of the Chicago Loop. Grand Central Station was designed by architect Solon Spencer Beman for the Wisconsin Central Railroad (WC), and was completed by the Chicago and Northern Pacific Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Charles Air Line</span> Rail corridor in Chicago

The St. Charles Air Line is a rail line in Chicago, Illinois, partially owned by the BNSF Railway, Union Pacific Railroad (UP), and Canadian National Railway (CN).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DuSable Bridge</span> Bridge in Chicago, Illinois

The DuSable Bridge is a bascule bridge that carries Michigan Avenue across the main stem of the Chicago River in downtown Chicago, Illinois, United States. The bridge was proposed in the early 20th century as part of a plan to link Grant Park (downtown) and Lincoln Park (uptown) with a grand boulevard. Construction of the bridge started in 1918, it opened to traffic in 1920, and decorative work was completed in 1928. The bridge provides passage for vehicles and pedestrians on two levels. An example of a fixed trunnion bascule bridge, it may be raised to allow tall ships and boats to pass underneath. The bridge is included in the Michigan–Wacker Historic District and has been designated as a Chicago Landmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Avenue Bridge</span> Bridge in Chicago, Illinois

The North Avenue Bridge can refer to one of three bridges that has carried North Avenue over the North Branch of the Chicago River on the north side of Chicago, Illinois. A center-pier swing bridge built in 1877 was replaced in 1907 by a bascule bridge, allowing river traffic more room for maneuvering in and out of the North Canal, just north of Goose Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin Street Bridge</span> Bridge in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

The Franklin–Orleans Street Bridge, commonly known as the Franklin Street Bridge, is a bascule bridge over the Chicago River, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It was built in October 1920, and is located directly southwest of the Merchandise Mart. Connecting the Near North Side with "The Loop," is at the junction of the branches of the river, lying directly west of the Wells Street Bridge. It carries four lanes of traffic in the northbound direction, and sidewalks are available on both sides of the bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wells Street Bridge (Chicago)</span> Bridge in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

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. Bridge tenders' houses for controlling the bridge are on the northwest and southeast corners of the bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cortland Street Drawbridge</span> American bridge

The Cortland Street Drawbridge over the Chicago River is the original Chicago-style fixed-trunnion bascule bridge, designed by John Ericson and Edward Wilmann. When it opened in 1902, on Chicago's north side, it was the first such bridge built in the United States. The bridge was a major advance in American movable bridge engineering, and was the prototype for over 50 additional bridges in Chicago alone. The bridge was designated as an ASCE Civil Engineering Landmark in 1981, and a Chicago Landmark in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kinzie Street railroad bridge</span> Bridge in Chicago

The Chicago and North Western Railway's Kinzie Street railroad bridge is a single leaf bascule bridge across the north branch of the Chicago River in downtown Chicago, Illinois. At the time of its opening in 1908 it was the world's longest and heaviest bascule bridge. The previous bridges on the same site included a pedestrian span that was the first bridge across the Chicago River; a second bridge that served as Chicago's first railroad bridge; and a third bridge that was one of the first all-steel spans in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenwood branch</span> Former Chicago "L" line

The Kenwood branch was a rapid transit line which was part of the Chicago 'L' system from 1907 to 1957. The branch served the Kenwood neighborhood of Chicago and consisted of six elevated stations. It opened on September 20, 1907 and closed on December 1, 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taylor Street Bridge (Chicago)</span> Bridge in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

The Taylor Street Bridge was the first Scherzer rolling lift bascule bridge built in Chicago, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harrison Street Bridge (Chicago)</span> Bridge in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

The Harrison Street Bridge is a fixed-trunnion bascule bridge in Chicago, Illinois, crossing the South Branch Chicago River.

References

  1. 1 2 "Blanchard's Map of Chicago". www.davidrumsey.com. 1906. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  2. "Grand Avenue Bridge (Indiana Street Bridge)". HistoricBridges.org. Archived from the original on 2022-12-09. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  3. 1 2 McBriarty, Patrick (December 2013). "Bridge birthdays this month: Grand Avenue Bridge". Loop North News. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  4. "Grand Ave Bridge". Chicago Loop Bridges. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  5. "Grand Avenue swing bridge over the North Branch of the Chicago River". Explore Chicago Collections. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  6. "Happy birthday to Chicago's Grand Avenue bridge". Illinois Press Blog. 13 December 2013. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  7. "1913—Chicago Street Name Changes". Chicagology. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2024.