City Moves Railroad Bridge Over Torrence Avenue

By Chuck Sudo in News on Aug 26, 2012 6:00PM

Photo courtesy Chicago Department of Transportation.

The Chicago Department of Transportation moved a 400-foot long railroad truss bridge into place over Torrence Avenue near 130th Street Saturday morning. The 4.3 million pound bridge will allow for commuter rail traffic to pass on the South Shore and South Bend lines and is believed to be the largest such bridge ever moved into place after being assembled off-site. Walsh Construction used four self-propelled mobile transporters (SPMTs) to move the bridge

The bridge is part of the CREATE project partnership between the U.S. Department of Transportation, the State of Illinois, City of Chicago, Metra, Amtrak, and the nation's freight railroads - to invest billions in critically needed improvements to increase the efficiency of the region's passenger and freight rail infrastructure. It replaces two at-grade crossings of the Norfolk Southern tracks with the two roadways to improve the traffic flow of all modes of transport at the intersection.

The entire intersection reconstruction project, which is still in progress, includes six new bridges (railroad, roadway, and pedestrian/bicyclists bridges); a mixed-use path for pedestrians and bicyclists; retaining walls; drainage system; street lighting; traffic signals; roadway pavement and extensive landscaping. The total cost of the grade separation project is $101 million.

Photo courtesy Chicago Department of Transportation.