Harrison Street Bridge (Chicago)

Harrison Street Bridge
The bridge in 2023
Coordinates	41°52′28″N87°38′10″W / 41.87444°N 87.63611°W / 41.87444; -87.63611
Carries	Motor vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians on Harrison Street
Crosses	South Branch Chicago River
Locale	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Characteristics
Design	Fixed-trunnion bascule bridge
History
Opened	August 23, 1960
Location

The bridge in its raised state in 2009

The Harrison Street Bridge is a fixed-trunnion bascule bridge in Chicago, Illinois, crossing the South Branch Chicago River. ^{[1] [2]}

History

While the current iteration opened in 1960, two previous iterations took the place of the current bridge. The first bridge opened in 1877 as a hand-operated swing bridge after nearby property owners advocated for the crossing. The second bridge, a Scherzer rolling lift bascule bridge, was built from 1901 to 1905; the former swing bridge was dismantled in the process. The "Scherzer" bridge was eventually closed in December 1959 in favor of the current fixed-trunnion bridge, which opened on August 23, 1960. ^[2]

The western bridge approach, situated above railroad tracks leading to Chicago Union Station, is currently under reconstruction. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

References

1. "Harrison Street Bridge". HistoricBridges.org. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
2. "Harrison Street Bridges". Chicagology. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
3. "STV Leads Site Tour for Harrison Street Viaduct Reconstruction". STV. October 17, 2024. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
4. "Harrison Street Viaduct West of Chicago River, Phase I & II". HBM Engineering Group. December 3, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
5. "Harrison Street Viaduct West of Chicago River". Construction Journal. Retrieved October 19, 2024.

External links

• Media related to Harrison Street Bridge (Chicago) at Wikimedia Commons