Structure 16031500000000 · Cook County, IL

Harlem AVE NB Ill over San & Ship Canal

Carries Harlem AVE NB Ill over San & Ship Canal, 0.1 M N I55.

Overall conditionPoor

Set by its lowest-rated component: Superstructure and Substructure at 4 of 9.

How ratings work
Deck6/9 · Satisfactory
Superstructuresets the rating4/9 · Poor
Substructuresets the rating4/9 · Poor
Channelnot part of overall8/9 · Very Good
0 failed4 poor6 fair9 excellent

Elevation

Side view, colored by inspection rating
SEMI-TRUCK · 72 FT456 FT OVERALL100 FT0ELEVATION · LENGTHS TO SCALE
Deck 6/9Superstructure 4/9 · sets the ratingSubstructure 4/9 · sets the rating

456 ft end to end: 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 bascule bridge (drawn closed).

Built1931rebuilt 1990
Length456.4 ft139.1 m
Daily traffic35,500counted 2023
Last inspectedAugust 2024every 12 months

Location

StateIllinois
CountyCook
Location0.1 M N I55
CarriesHarlem AVE NB Ill
CrossesSan & Ship Canal
Coordinates41.80138, -87.80218

Physical Characteristics

MaterialSteel
DesignMovable - Bascule
Total Length456.4 ft (139.1 m)
Max Span224.1 ft (68.3 m)
Deck Width72.8 ft (22.2 m)
Deck Area3088.0 sq m
Main Spans1
Year Built1931 (reconstructed 1990)

Traffic

Avg Daily Traffic35,500 (2023)
Truck Traffic5%
Lanes On Bridge3

Inspection & Ownership

Last InspectionAugust 2024
Inspection FrequencyEvery 12 months
OwnerState Highway Agency
Historical SignificanceBridge is possibly eligible (requires evaluation)
Scour Critical8 — Stable, low risk
Structure Number016031500000000

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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