BNSF Columbia Street Bridge (Joliet)

View historic articles discussing the Joliet track elevation project (digitalized by Google)

Located near downtown Joliet, this through plate girder bridge carries the former Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway over Columbia Street. As Joliet grew from a small town outside of Chicago to a major manufacturing and railroad hub of the Midwest, railroad traffic through the city increased dramatically. At the turn of the 20th Century, the business district of Joliet was served by four separate railroads, including the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway (Rock Island); the Chicago & Alton Railroad (C&A); the Michigan Central Railroad (MC) and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (ATSF). Inspired by successful track elevation projects in the City of Chicago, Joliet passed a general ordinance for the elevation of railroads within the business district in January 1906. This ordinance aimed to improve safety, consolidate the railroads and construct a new Union Station, which would be served by all four railroads. Work on the project began in 1907, and the project would be completed in 1912.

The section of ATSF between the I&M Canal and Jackson Street was the first section in Joliet to be elevated. The underpass carrying the ATSF over Columbia Street was started in 1907, and completed by 1908. The double track bridge consists of a 47-foot and two 14-foot through plate girder spans, set onto concrete abutments and supported by steel bents. Typical of grade separations from this era, the superstructure uses parallel I-beams, set between the girders and covered by sheet metal to form a ballast deck. The bents use solid columns, which are connected solid beams at the top and bottom, as well as an X-bracing between the columns. In addition, the bridge is set at a slight skew to accommodate the geometry of the roadway beneath. American Bridge Company fabricated the superstructure, while the concrete work was completed by the Brownell Improvement Company. This type of bridge was commonly used for grade separations, as it was durable, easy to construct, cost effective and allowed for greater protection of the public passing underneath. The use of through girder spans on this project was not preferred, but was required at this location due to limited clearance underneath. Since the initial construction, the bridge has seen few alterations. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with some deterioration noted to both the superstructure and substructure. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.