Structure 16610100000000 · Cook County, IL

Columbus DR over Main Br Chicago Riv.

Carries Columbus DR over Main Br Chicago Riv., 347 N & 301 E.

Overall conditionFair

Set by its lowest-rated component: Deck and Superstructure and Substructure at 5 of 9.

How ratings work
Decksets the rating5/9 · Fair
Superstructuresets the rating5/9 · Fair
Substructuresets the rating5/9 · Fair
Channelnot part of overall8/9 · Very Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT389 FT OVERALL50 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 5/9Superstructure 5/9Substructure 5/9

389 ft end to end: about 5 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 bascule bridge (drawn closed).

Built198244 years old
Length389.1 ft118.6 m
Daily traffic18,600counted 2022
Last inspectedSeptember 2024every 24 months

Location

StateIllinois
CountyCook
Location347 N & 301 E
CarriesColumbus DR
CrossesMain Br Chicago Riv.
Coordinates41.88862, -87.62058

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel
DesignMovable - Bascule
Total Length389.1 ft (118.6 m)
Max Span269.0 ft (82 m)
Deck Width109.9 ft (33.5 m)
Deck Area3973.1 sq m
Main Spans1
Year Built1982

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic18,600 (2022)
Truck Traffic4%
Lanes On Bridge6

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionSeptember 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerCity/Municipal Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure Number016610100000000

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.

Nearby Bridges