Structure 16651500000000 · Cook County, IL

Canal ST over Union Station

Carries Canal ST over Union Station, 500w & 200s To 300s.

Overall conditionPoor

Set by its lowest-rated component: Substructure at 3 of 9.

How ratings work
Deck4/9 · Poor
Superstructure4/9 · Poor
Substructuresets the rating3/9 · Serious
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT424 FT OVERALL50 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 4/9Superstructure 4/9Substructure 3/9 · sets the rating

424 ft end to end, longest span 43 ft: about 6 semi-trucks nose to tail. Lengths and the semi-truck on the deck are drawn to the same scale. Each part is colored by its latest inspection rating. The inventory records lengths but not heights or the layout of the shorter spans, so those are drawn as typical for a multi-beam bridge.

Built1926rebuilt 1983
Length423.6 ft129.1 m
Daily traffic5,100counted 2022
Last inspectedMay 2023every 24 months

Location

StateIllinois
CountyCook
Location500w & 200s To 300s
CarriesCanal ST
CrossesUnion Station
Coordinates41.87885, -87.63958

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length423.6 ft (129.1 m)
Max Span42.7 ft (13 m)
Deck Width100.1 ft (30.5 m)
Deck Area3937.6 sq m
Main Spans13
Year Built1926 (reconstructed 1983)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic5,100 (2022)
Truck Traffic20%
Lanes On Bridge5

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionMay 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerCity/Municipal Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour CriticalNot applicable
Structure Number016651500000000

How Bridge Ratings Work

Inspectors rate each major part of a bridge (the deck you drive on, the superstructure of beams that holds it up, and the substructure of piers and abutments beneath) on a 0–9 scale. A bridge's overall condition is its lowest of those ratings, so one deteriorated component makes the whole bridge "poor."

0Failed
1Imminent failure
2Critical
3Serious
4Poor
5Fair
6Satisfactory
7Good
8Very good
9Excellent
Good · lowest component 7–9
Fair · lowest component 5–6
Poor · lowest component 0–4

A poor rating is not a closure. It means the bridge is flagged for priority repair or replacement; bridges judged unsafe are closed or posted with weight limits. The waterway (channel) rating is reported, but it does not count toward the overall classification.

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