Chicago Ave. Bridge

U.S. Bridge’s mission is to connect communities one steel bridge at a time. Therefore, when the city of Chicago needed an interim bridge to replace the Chicago Avenue bridge, U.S. Bridge stepped up to the plate.

The Chicago Avenue bridge was built in 1914 and its central location in Downtown Chicago makes it an important corridor that carries 20,000 vehicles and over 20,700 passengers on CTA buses. The project consisted of the demolition of the existing bridge and the construction of the new structure within a 3-month period.

The steel bascule bridge had deteriorated and had just one lane in each direction. The absence of the bridge has created a hassle for both local workers and residents in the busy area. We are pleased to have been able to select a bridge coating that helped us to meet our installation timeline, without the worry of future maintenance. ~M. Claffey, Chicago DOT

This was an important project that provided the City of Chicago with a solution to continue the traffic flow of this busy area in downtown. The high profile Chicago Avenue bridge project required both a durable coating and corrosion proof solution for its owner, as well as the residents and commuters of downtown Chicago.

A durable coating was needed in order to install a turn key bridge solution within a matter of months without concern to the integrity of the coating system of the structure. The speed of installation and the hassle-free characteristics of the zinc coating meant everything to the timeline of the project. Hot-dip galvanizing gave the fabricator, erector and contractor the flexibility to deliver and install the bridge expeditiously, without having to worry about damage to the coating or how it might look in the very populated area.

While the temporary bridge calls downtown Chicago home, there will be no maintenance required to the bridge coating whether it sits for months or for decades to come. Aesthetically, the bridge blends into the bustling environment without the threat of unsightly corrosion in the months or years to come. The Chicago Avenue bridge is intended to be only a temporary bridge, however thanks to hot-dip galvanizing, the City of Chicago has the option to keep it in service for as long as it desires.

Details

Award Class

Newly Complete

Award Sectors

Bridge & Highway

Environment

Industrial/Urban

Location

Chicago, IL United States

Reasons for Galvanizing

Coating Durability, Corrosion Performance, Life-Cycle Cost

Components Galvanized

27 seven floor beams, 10 truss sections weighing 102,200 pounds each, 5,350 shop bolts, 4,570 field bolts for a grand total of 592,000 pounds of hot-dip galvanized steel.