Clark Street Bridge
| Clark Street Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Clark Street Bridge, 1987 |
|
| Carries | Motor Vehicles, Pedestrians |
| Crosses | Chicago River |
| Locale | Chicago |
| Total length | 346 ft (105m)[1] |
| Width | 215 ft (66m)[2] |
| Longest span | 215 ft (66m)[2] |
| Clearance below | 20 ft (6m)[1] |
| Construction end | 1929 |
| Opened | 1929 |
| Coordinates | 41°53′15″N 87°37′52″W / 41.8875°N 87.6310°W |
The Clark Street Bridge is a bascule bridge that spans the Chicago River in downtown Chicago, connecting the Near North Side with The Loop.[1]
[edit] History
The current bridge, which was completed in 1929,[2] is the third bridge to span the river at this point. In 1853 the original bridge was struck by a steamer, called the London, and collapsed, blocking traffic on the river. The bridge was dredged and river traffic resumed on September 8.[3] In 1854, the city approved an expenditure of $12,000 to replace the bridge with a pivot bridge.[4] During the Lager Beer Riot in 1855, the bridge was pivoted to help contain the rioters.[5]
The Eastland was supposed to sail from the dock at the Clark Street Bridge on July 24, 1915 when it capsized.[6]
[edit] In popular culture
In 1916, Carl Sandburg wrote the poem "Clark Street Bridge". [7]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "Clark Street Bridge". historicbridges.org. http://www.historicbridges.org/truss/clark/index.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-28.
- ^ a b c "Chicago River Bascule Bridge, Clarke Street, Spanning Chicago River at Clarke Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL". Historic American Engineering Record. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.il0629. Retrieved 2007-05-28.
- ^ "Column 1". Chicago Tribune: pp. 3. 1853-09-09.
- ^ "Clark Street Bridge". Chicago Tribune: pp. 2. 1854-02-11.
- ^ "Trail of the Rioters". Chicago Tribune: pp. 2. 1855-06-21.
- ^ "Dewey - Addams - Chicago". http://inquiry.uiuc.edu/cil/edit_list.php?cilid=343&listid=307. Retrieved 2007-03-08.[dead link]
- ^ Sandburg, Carl (1916). Chicago Poems. Henry Holt. http://books.google.com/books?id=_kEDAAAAYAAJ.
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