N Wells St Bridge, Chicago, IL (1)

The N. Wells St. bridge - Main Branch Chicago River.

Videos: Site Video / YouTube Video / Narrated YouTube Tour

Quick Facts for North Wells St. Bridge

Date Opened: February 11, 1922
Designers: Thomas G. Pihlfeldt, Hugh E. Young, John Ericson, Edward Bennett
Classification: Double Deck (Rail/Auto); Through Trusses
Group Age Ranking: 7th Oldest
Clear Span: 231 feet (2nd longest)
Trunnion-to-Trunnion Span: 268 feet (2nd longest)
Width: 72 feet (7th widest tied w/ North Clark and West Madison)
Leaf Weight: 2,100 tons
Height above the Water: 16 feet
Average Daily Foot Traffic (1999): 8,415 (10th most)
Average Daily Vehicular Traffic (2006): 8,500 (14th most)
Average daily Train Traffic: 408 (est)
Annual Lifts (2006): 38
Last Rehabilitated: 1993
Cultural: Movies - A Piece of the Action (1977), The Code of Silence (1985), About Last Night (1986), Rapid Fire (1992), The Fugitive (1993), The Beast (TV 2009)

Drawings:

General Plan and Elevation Drawing (1917)

Bridge Tender House Elevation Drawing (1917)

The river crossing at North Wells Street has a 167 year history. The first river crossing at Wells Street was a floating bridge that was built in 1841, then rebuilt in 1847. The first swing bridge at this location was constructed in 1856. This bridge was destroyed in the Great Fire in 1871. A new swing bridge was in place by the end of 1872. In 1896 the Wells Street bridge was rebuilt by the Northwestern Elevated Road with an elevated rail line on a second deck.

A view of the upper deck of the N. Wells St. bridge from the Merchandise Mart CTA station.

The bridge tender houses are located on the SE and NW corners of the bridge.

The major construction problem for this bridge was to minimize the impact on the upper deck train traffic while the switchover from the old swing bridge to the new bascule was accomplished. Thomas G. Pihlfeldt had solved this problem earlier at the West Lake Street bridge. The solution was to maintain train traffic on the elevated tracks on the old swing bridge while the bascule bridge leaves were constructed in the vertical position. When the bascule bridge was completed, the old swing bridge was rotated open, cut up and removed via the river and the bascule bridge was lowered into position. The upper deck was then installed. This process produced a three day break in rail service (four days less than the delay at Lake Street).

In a 1977 an unusual accident occurred. The bridge was raised while a car was still partially on it. The car's front wheels were on the street and its rear wheels were on the bridge. As the bridge raised, the upper deck of the bridge caught the roof of the car just behind the front seat and kept it from falling into the river. As the bridge continued upward the car was eventually cut in half. The driver was trapped for a time but survived. The bridge tender was eventually found at fault.

A view of the N. Wells St. bridge from the street level.

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