rail bridge vs. trucks

[Jeff Wingstrom]

OK this is off topic but if you're like me and often bemoan the way trucks took over much of what railroads once did ... this is pretty fun:

http://the-tubez.prochan.com/The_Tubez/t/da1_1351183858

-Jeff

[mark_k]

A great testament to laziness and stupidity... of truck drivers. Nice post!

[TBurke]

Thanks for posting.  Was someone standing there with camcorders waiting for idiot truck drivers to go under the bridge or were those webcams?

In the 1980s a motorboat on the North Branch of the Chicago River going south at a high speed misjudged the clearance on the lowered Carroll Avenue C&NW bridge (just south of Kinzie Street) with the result that its windshield was shorn off.  For years the remains of this boat windshield were stuck to the lower part of the bridge where it was wedged in.

[ray gerard]

Rail wins vs. trucks!  The IC/ChicagoAndAlton's old dbl track bascule bridge over the South Branch hasn't operated in decades.  The high-level operators shack was lost to fire over 20 years ago.  It appears a replacement stationery bridge is being built by cranes on a barge in Bubbly Creek.  It'd be nice to see it hoisted into place. 

[ray gerard]

As it grows it's looking more like 1/2 of the planned new Wells St. El/auto span over the main branch.  They must be going to float it down the South Branch.

[Brianbobcat]

Hi Ray,

Do you happen to have any photos?  I was under the impression that Wells was being rebuilt by replacing parts of the bridge structure, not the whole bridge.  I haven't heard any details though and no renderings, so maybe you are right.  Pics are always fun though.   :-)

[ray gerard]

I'll try to swing by there for pix.  I thought I read the entire Wells bridge was to be replaced.

[ray gerard]

it's in two dbl-decked pieces.  no pix yet

[ray gerard]

the two pieces match the center-most halves of both sides, not the mechanical business ends, and correspond to the primer/non-primer portions on the existing bridge

[Brianbobcat]

the two pieces match the center-most halves of both sides, not the mechanical business ends, and correspond to the primer/non-primer portions on the existing bridge

Ok, that might make sense.  The reason why I was so skeptical was because I've seen structural work and primer already done on the bridge, and I was wondering why they'd put all that work in if they were just going to replace the whole thing.  I guess this explains why the Brown Line will be shut down for 9 days.  That'd be a lot of days if it was just for more minor structural exchanges.  Replacing the whole structure is definitely a multi-day thing.

[ray gerard]

per Sun-Times item yesterday (video on website) one section was floated to location yesterday midday.  Delay in transit occurred when a lock (down) was found stuck on the Congress roadway span

[Brianbobcat]

Yep, you were totally right Ray: http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/18425182-418/barge-delivers-section-of-wells-street-bridge.html

[Jeff Wingstrom]

Here's more at the Trib site - some great pics:

http://galleries.apps.chicagotribune.com/chi-130228-wells-street-bridge-pictures/

The last pic & caption is interesting - in light of the 9-day CTA shutdown during the 2013 repair, the quote from 1921 says "Only forty-eight hours' delay in "L" traffic is expected"