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Deerpath Road Trail Bridge (Lake Forest)

Concrete Ridged Frame Bridge over Deerpath Road
Lake Forest, Lake County, Illinois

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name Deerpath Road Trail Bridge (Lake Forest)
Built By Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad
Contractor Bates & Rogers Construction Company of Chicago
Currently Owned By Lake County
Length 51 Feet Total
Width 2 Tracks
Height Above Ground 14 Feet 1 Inch
Superstructure Type Concrete Ridged Frame
Substructure Type Concrete
Date Built 1936
Traffic Count 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is a Trail)
Current Status Rails to Trails
Significance Minimal Significance
Documentation Date July 2018


Located in the village of Lake Forest, this through girder bridge is the eastern of two bridges at the intersection of Deerpath Road and US-41 (Skokie Highway).
Built in 1936 as a grade separation for a major transportation corridor, this bridge features a single rigid frame span, with the appearance of a concrete arch. Unlike the parallel bridge which features an through girder span covered by a concrete fascia.
In addition, the bridge consists of a ballasted deck and concrete substructures.
This type of design is common for grade separations in the 1930s. Many were constructed as part of major New Deal Era projects, especially along new highways.
Little changes have been made to this bridge since construction. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to poor condition, with deterioration throughout the entie structure.

The author has ranked this bridge as being minimally significant, due to the common design and newer age.
The photo above is an overview.

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date 1992 National Bridge Inventory
Contractors Railway Age Volume 101
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele