Located in the New City neighborhood of Chicago, this through girder bridge crosses South Winchester Avenue at W. 49th Street.
Built in 1907 as the Indiana Harbor Belt and parallel Grand Truck raised their tracks through the area, the bridge consists of a single through plate girder span, set onto concrete substructures. While the bridge was originally built for four tracks, only the two GTW tracks remain.
In addition, the bridge consists of a ballasted deck. This deck has protected the bridge since construction, leading to lower than normal amounts of section loss. The bridge has been abandoned for many years, although it has not been removed.
This type of bridge is typical for this specific separation, which spans from Western Avenue to Halsted Street.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, primarily due to the ballasted deck. It is unknown who currently owns the bridge, although it is believed that Indiana Harbor Belt does.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.