Structure 16825800000000 · Cook County, IL

Elm ST over Union Pacific Rr

Carries Elm ST over Union Pacific Rr, Elm Ov Union P.rr.

Overall conditionPoor

Set by its lowest-rated component: Superstructure at 2 of 9.

How ratings work
Deck5/9 · Fair
Superstructuresets the rating2/9 · Critical
Substructure6/9 · Satisfactory
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT169 FT OVERALL25 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 5/9Superstructure 2/9 · sets the ratingSubstructure 6/9

169 ft end to end, longest span 46 ft: about 2 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.

Built194086 years old
Length169.0 ft51.5 m
Daily traffic1,800counted 2022
Last inspectedAugust 2023every 24 months

Location

StateIllinois
CountyCook
LocationElm Ov Union P.rr
CarriesElm ST
CrossesUnion Pacific Rr
Coordinates42.10590, -87.73302

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel Continuous
DesignStringer/Multi-beam
Total Length169.0 ft (51.5 m)
Max Span45.9 ft (14 m)
Deck Width73.5 ft (22.4 m)
Deck Area1153.6 sq m
Main Spans4
Year Built1940

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic1,800 (2022)
Truck Traffic8%
Lanes On Bridge2

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionAugust 2023
Inspection FrequencyEvery 24 months
OwnerCity/Municipal Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is not eligible for the National Register
Scour CriticalNot applicable
Structure Number016825800000000

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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