Let's Move A Bridge! Updating An Overpass On The Bloomingdale Trail
By Tankboy in News on Apr 21, 2014 4:10PM
People traveling in Wicker Park early Saturday morning were treated to a sight not often seen; an entire bridge slowly moving down the street on the back of a huge flatbed. The bridge moved from its previous location over Ashland Avenue to its new home at Western and Bloomingdale. It is part of the creation of The 606 / Bloomingdale Trail project and will save the city money in trail construction and open up an area of Western that previously ran prone to bottlenecks. According to The 606 Facebook page, "this adaptive reuse/recycling project saved landfill space AND about $300,000 vs building a new bridge." The vehicle that moved the bridge used technology similar to what NASA used when moving the space shuttle, and had 80 wheels that could move independently from each other to maneuver through tiny adjustments.
We've embedded a hi-speed video of the bridge being lifted and maneuvered into place below, but if you want to watch the whole thing in real time, you can do so here. Watching those wheels move and reposition can be hypnotic.