The Webster Avenue was recently reopened as the are still being completed. The architectural element that has always interested me the most about this bridge, and its approach, is the railings.
Here’s the weathered, existing rails, with distinctive art deco lines:
Here’s detail of the construction of the railing, showing brick & mortar base with concrete panels.
Here’s the new concrete balustrade on the southern approach, just before the bridge:
And here’s the clean, updated take on the approach, mixing the smooth Brutalist concrete with horizontal, irregular 3-line design:
Here’s some resources about the bridge:
From the City of Chicago website:
The 105-year-old Webster Avenue Bridge is a classic example of Chicago style double-leaf trunnion bridges with pony trusses that were built by the City in the first two decades of the 20th Century. Although it was operated as a movable bridge for decades, it has not been opened for the passage of vessels since the 1960’s. It is eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. The last major rehabilitation project of the Webster Bridge was in 1967, with limited maintenance performed more recently in 2015. The new project will involve the comprehensive rehabilitation of the structure.
The project will include the following work:
“CDOT Joins Aldermen Hopkins at Groundbreaking for Webster Avenue Bridge Rehabilitation Project”, August 12, 2021
- Replacement of the bridge deck, to be partially filled with concrete that will improve the riding surface for people on bikes, and replacement of various structural beams, trusses, and bracings.
- Signal timing improvements at Ashland Avenue.
- Lighting improvements throughout the project limits.
- Rehabilitation of historic elements, including the bridge house structures.
- Improvements to crosswalks, curb ramps and sidewalks for ADA compliance.
- Improved pavement markings for shared traffic and bicycle lanes.
The HBM website notes the work to “remove and replace steel and concrete railings”:
“Chicago’s Movable Bridge Preservation Plan” from September 2018 has more information about the historical underpinnings of bridge plans. It’s also interesting because this is a draft document that has eidts and input from various relevant state and local entities.
A last resource is the Bridge Hunter record for this bridge, which is detailed and laudatory. The entry for the Ashland Avenue North Branch Bridge is also instructive. Here’s a parting snip:
The fact that Chicago is a city with such a large, record-breaking number of bascule bridges, and most of them considered historic, is something the city should be truly proud of. For the most part, Chicago has been a model for historic bridge preservation, especially with the bridges in the downtown area. They have chosen to maintain, and rehabilitate as needed, their historic bridges for the continuous heavy traffic one might expect in the nation’s third largest city. The fact that so many of these bridges remain functional and historically intact as well sends a message to other cities and even rural locations who claim that historic bridges cannot serve the needs of modern day traffic.
“Ashland Avenue North Branch Bridge” on Bridge Hunter
Bonus: vestigial original panel, on Webster west of Ashland:
