Adams Street Bridge Finished with Boat Under

Adams Street Bridge Before Construction

Adams Street Bridge Before Construction 2

Structural Enhancements at Chicago’s Train Hub

Reconstruction of the Adams Street Bridge Over the Union Station Tracks and Chicago River

Chicago, IL Department of Transportation
Crawford, Murphy & Tilly (CMT) served as the prime consultant on this project, providing overall project management and design leadership for a complex, multi-modal transportation reconstruction and rehabilitation project involving rail, vehicular traffic, pedestrians, bicycles and boat traffic. Services were provided for major structural, roadway and pedestrian improvements near the north entrance to Union Station where 50,000 commuters pass each day. The $13 million project covered a length of 740 feet of Adams Street from the intersection of Adams and Canal Street to the intersection of Adams and Wacker Drive in the City of Chicago.

COMPONENTS

  • Removal and replacement of the existing 282-foot, six-span viaduct structure over the north concourse of the Chicago Union Station tracks.
  • Removal and replacement of the fixed spans of the iconic bascule bridge that carries Adams Street over the South Branch of the Chicago River.
  • Rehabilitation of the bascule bridge that carries Adams Street over the south branch of the Chicago River.
  • Reconstruction of the existing urban roadway, intersection reconstruction, new intersection signals, new storm drainage system and new street lighting.

The project involved substantial coordination with railroad, transit and area businesses. In addition to transit rail operations and vehicular movements, the walkway across the Adams Street Bridge has one of the highest pedestrian daily traffic counts of any locations tracked by CDOT.

Project Contact(s)

William Bailey, PE, SE

Project Service(s)

  • Design and Construction Engineering
  • Lighting Design
  • Railroad
  • Stormwater Management
  • Structural Engineering
  • Utility Coordination