Halsted Street Bridge over Chicago River North Branch Canal

The Halsted Street Bridge over the Chicago River was originally constructed in 1908 as a movable bridge, providing navigable waterway. Due to deterioration and lack of river traffic, it had not functioned as a movable bridge for more than 25 years. The existing bridge had become structurally obsolete and functionally deficient.

Different bridge alternatives were considered and evaluated. A modern steel tied arch bridge was eventually selected, due to its cos effectiveness, superior aesthetically-pleasing shape and potential positive economic impact to the local community.

The new replacement structure is parabolically-shaped tied arch bridge. Additionally, two precast concrete arches located under the bridge were designed to provide pedestrian and bicyclists access for future extension of the Chicago Riverwalk.

In addition to the major improvement of bridge accessibility and openness, aesthetic enhancements were incorporated into many elements of the project, including architectural lighting and railings. STAAD 3D FEM model was used to model the entire bridge.

Additionally, SAP2000 3D FEM model was created to analyze the knuckle.

The content of this presentation focuses on the critical design elements and introduce the process of analyzing, design, detailing, and erection of the Halsted Street steel tied-arch bridge.

View content