Photos: Part Of Navy Pier's New Ferris Wheel Is Taking Shape

By Rachel Cromidas in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 19, 2016 8:18PM

A crucial first step in the process of building Navy Pier's newer, bigger Ferris wheel got underway Tuesday.

Navy Pier has been shut down through Jan. 20 so crews can build part of the new Ferris wheel, described by officials as "key structural elements of the wheel's frame," which arrived in Streeterville by boat, truck and train from Europe.

The 196-foot Ferris wheel is being built in time for Navy Pier's 2016 Centennial Celebration this summer. Photographer Braden Nesin captured four large cranes as they began lifting the wheel's six 120-foot legs, weighing over 36,000 lbs each. They'll be attached to a 104-foot center hub for the wheel.