Main branch bridges north of Loop in good to poor condition

Wabash is best, Wells is worst

6-Oct-09 – New data recently released to the public shows bridges over the main branch of the Chicago River, north of the Loop, in mostly satisfactory condition, but two – at North LaSalle Street and North Wells Street – are in poor condition. The Illinois Department of Transportation made the information available last month on a new web site. (Left) Aerial view of Chicago River bridges from State Street to Orleans Street.

When last inspected on December 11, 2008, the 345-foot bridge on Wells Street that leads from Wacker Drive to Merchandise Mart received a sufficiency rating – a percentage based on structural adequacy, safety, serviceability, functional obsolescence, and other factors – of 17 percent. It was considered both structurally deficient and functionally obsolete.

Built in 1922, the bridge accommodates an estimated 8,500 vehicles each day, with 12 percent of them trucks. According to IDOT, the deck of the bridge is in poor condition with advanced deterioration. The superstructure is in serious condition with significant section loss. And the substructure is in fair condition with minor section loss and cracks. Overall, the structural evaluation was “intolerable.”

When last inspected on October 29, 2007, the 347-foot bridge on North LaSalle Street, built in 1928, received a sufficiency rating of 41.8 percent. It, too, is structurally deficient and functionally obsolete, according to IDOT.

12,050 vehicles cross over the bridge every day, with 10 percent of those vehicles being trucks. The deck and superstructure of the bridge was rated in poor condition with “advanced deterioration.” The substructure was in fair condition with minor section loss and cracks. The bridge railing does not meet standards, says the report.

Of the eight bridges from Michigan Avenue west to Orleans Street, the Wabash Avenue bridge was in the best condition, getting a 78 percent sufficiency rating.

The 345-foot bridge, built in 1930 and last inspected in 2007, was considered neither structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. The deck was in very good condition, with no problems noted. The superstructure was in good condition and the substructure was in fair condition.

Bridges with a sufficiency rating of 80 or below are eligible for funding from the Federal Highway Act. If the rating is below 50 percent, the bridge could be replaced, otherwise it would be rehabilitated.

Illinois Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig said the Bridge Information web site, which provides detailed inventory and inspection data on all bridges and structures in Illinois, aims to improve public access and transparency.

“We want the public to have access to the information that is important to them,” Secretary Hannig said. “This is yet another example of Governor Quinn’s vision to provide more transparency and accountability within state agencies, and we’re happy to do our part.”

 Web site: Illinois Department of Transportation Bridge Information

The bridges of Cook County, northwest of Chicago’s Loop

• VERY GOOD CONDITION = NO PROBLEMS NOTED
• GOOD CONDITION = SOME MINOR PROBLEMS
• FAIR CONDITION = MINOR SECTION LOSS, CRACKS
• SATISFACTORY CONDITION = MINOR DETERIORATION
• POOR CONDITION = ADVANCED DETERIORATION
• SERIOUS CONDITION = SIGNIFICANT SECTION LOSS

• BETTER THAN MINIMUM = BETTER THAN PRESENT MINIMUM CRITERIA
• EQUAL TO MINIMUM = EQUAL TO PRESENT MINIMUM CRITERIA
• BETTER THAN ADEQUATE = BETTER THAN ADEQUATE TO BE LEFT IN PLACE
• MINIMUM ADEQUACY = MINIMUM ADEQUACY TO BE LEFT IN PLACE
• INTOLERABLE = INTOLERABLE HIGH PRIORITY FOR REPLACEMENT

¹ Reconstructed 1985
² Reconstructed 2002