MICHIGAN AVENUE BRIDGE

The 'Michigan Avenue Bridge' is a bascule bridge that carries Michigan Avenue across the Chicago River, the boundary between the Loop and Near North Side community areas, in downtown Chicago. It lies at the foot of the Magnificent Mile, between the Wrigley Building and Tribune Tower to the north and the London Guarantee Building and 333 North Michigan across Wacker Drive to the south, and a quarter of a mile north of the Chicago Landmark Historic Michigan Boulevard District.
The bridge was built from 1917–1920 as two parallel bridges that operate independently of one another. It was designed by architect Edward H. Bennett, and is an early example of a fixed trunnion bascule bridge, which later became widely known as a "Chicago style bascule". When it was completed it was the main link between the north side and downtown. It is a double-deck double-leaf bascule with a main span length of 220 feet^[1]. Between April and November each year the bridge is raised about 100 times^[2]; two 108-horsepower motors open and close each of the 3,750-ton bridge leaves^[3].
On June 10 2006 the McCormick Tribune Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum opened in the southwest tower of the bridge. The museum is operated by the Friends of the Chicago River and allows visitors access to the bridge gear room. During "bridge lifts" the two periods during the year when bridges on the Chicago River are raised to allow groups of small boats onto the lake in Spring, and then back into the river during Fall, one can see the bridge gears in operation as the leaves are raised and lowered.
This bridge is seen in the 1980 film "The Blues Brothers" as the East 95th Street Bridge.
The bridge was designated a Chicago Landmark on October 2 1991.^[4]

Contents

See also

References

External links

See also

★ Chicago architecture

References

1. (URL accessed October 1 2006).
2. ''Bridge Facts'' The Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum (URL accessed October 1 2006).
3. ''About the Bridge'' The Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum (URL accessed October 1 2006).
4. Michigan Avenue Bridge and Esplanade

External links

★ Library of Congress historical photos and documents

★ iExplore.com

★ McCormick Tribune Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum