La Salle Street Bridge (Chicago)

The La Salle Street Bridge (officially the Marshall Suloway Bridge) is a single-deck double-leaf trunnion bascule bridge spanning the main stem of the Chicago River in Chicago, Illinois,[2] that connects the Near North Side with the Loop area. It was constructed in 1928 at a cost of $2,500,000[3] by the Strobel Steel Constructing Company.

La Salle Street Bridge
View of the bridge from the Wells Street Bridge
Coordinates41°53′15″N 87°37′57″W / 41.887484°N 87.632474°W / 41.887484; -87.632474
CarriesAutomobiles
Pedestrians
CrossesChicago River
LocaleChicago, Cook County, Illinois
Official nameMarshall Suloway Bridge
Maintained byChicago Department of Transportation
ID number000016603226800
Characteristics
Total length242 feet (74 m)
Width86 feet (26 m)
Longest span220 feet (67 m)
Clearance above18.7 feet (5.7 m)
History
DesignerDonald Becker
Opened1928
Statistics
Daily traffic12050[1]
Location
Map

The bridge was part of a scheme to widen LaSalle Street and improve access from the Loop to the north side of the river that had been proposed as early as 1902.[4] The design of the bridge, along with those for new bridges at Madison Street, Franklin Street, and Clark Street, was approved in 1916.[5]

The Chicago City Council renamed the bridge in 1999 to honor former Chicago Department of Public Works Commissioner Marshall Suloway.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "NBI Structure Number: 000016603226800". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-01-05.
  2. ^ "Chicago River Bascule Bridge, LaSalle Street". Historic American Engineering Record. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
  3. ^ "Widening of LaSalle Street, New Bridge to be Ready by Nov. 1". Chicago Tribune. 1928-09-30.
  4. ^ "La Salle Street Boulevard Plan". Chicago Daily Tribune. 1902-04-10.
  5. ^ "Bridge Eyesores Will Give Way to Beauty Plans". Chicago Daily Tribune. 1916-02-18.
  6. ^ Megan, Graydon (March 14, 2012). "Marshall Suloway, 1921–2012: Engineer with hand in expressways, O'Hare". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
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