Located in the Near West Side neighborhood of Chicago, this bridge crosses West Washington Boulevard at S. Talman Avenue.
Built in 1897 as the Chicago & North Western and the parallel Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis raised their tracks through the area, the bridge consists of a single through plate girder span, set onto stone substructures. While the bridge was originally built for eight tracks, only three tracks remain, with two active. It is unknown when the other tracks were removed, although at least two were gone prior to 1939.
In addition, the bridge consists of a ballasted deck. This deck has protected the bridge since construction, although it largely failed due to the sheet steel design. The floors of the active tracks were rebuilt at an unknown time in the 1990s or 2000s.
This type of bridge is typical for early grade separations in Chicago.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to poor condition, with the unused track in rather poor condition.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.