W Monroe St Bridge, Chicago, IL (1)

Looking north at the W. Monroe St. bridge - South Branch Chicago River.

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Quick Facts for West Monroe St. Bridge

Date Opened: February 22, 1919
Designers: Thomas G. Pihlfeldt, Alexander von Babo, Hugh E. Young, Edward Bennett
Classification: Single Deck; Pony Trusses
Group Age Ranking: 4th Oldest
Clear Span: 166 feet (14th longest)
Trunnion-to-Trunnion Span: 193 feet (shortest in the group)
Width: 60 feet (12th widest)
Leaf Weight: 1,000 - 2,100 tons (est.)
Height above the Water: 19 feet
Average Daily Foot Traffic (1999): 10,279 (5th most)
Average Daily Vehicular Traffic (2006): 15,900 (5th most)
Annual Lifts (2006): 48
Last Rebuild: 2001
Cultural: None

Drawing:

Original Plan And Elevation Drawing (1915)

This is the first and only bridge built at West Monroe Street . Planning and design work began in 1913 and construction started in 1915. Labor strikes, court injunctions, and material shortages all contributed to the long construction period for this bridge.

Initially, the Union Station Company had oversight responsibility of the bridge construction. The Chicago Division of Bridges took over this responsibility in 1917.

Bridge tender houses are placed on the southwest and northeast corners of the bridge and were rebuilt in 2008. Railings have been restored to near "original."

The designers of this bridge faced some unique issues. The west side of the bridge abutted the railroad tracks for Union Station which would have been the “normal” location for the bridge abutment and tail pit for the fixed trunnion bascule bridge. In addition, there was a cross town water tunnel crossing the river diagonally here, and on the east bank there were two freight tunnels.

Initially a single leaf bascule was considered for this location but Edward Bennett of the Chicago Plan Commission was against such a design because it lacked the symmetry of a double leaf bascule. The compromise was to custom build each leaf of the double leaf bridge.

Looking south toward the W. Monroe St. bridge.

On the west bank (right hand side of the photo above), a heavier than usual counterweight was used to provide for a shorter radius of rotation which avoided interference with the railroad. The east leaf was similar to earlier bridges, with the exception of some of the foundation details.

Looking at the SW bridgetender house with the bridge raised.

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