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| Name | CTA Yellow Line - Old Hartrey Avenue Bridge |
| Built By | Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad Northwestern Elevated Railroad |
| Currently Owned By | Chicago Transit Authority |
| Superstructure Contractor | Hansell-Elcock Company of Chicago, Illinois |
| Substructure Contractor | L.E. Meyers Company of Chicago, Illinois |
| Design Engineer | I.F. Stern of Chicago, Illinois |
| Length | 150 Feet Total, 70 Foot Main Span |
| Width | 2 Tracks |
| Height Above Ground | 15 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Design | Deck Plate Girder and Concrete Skeleton Abutment |
| Substructure Design | Concrete |
| Date Built | 1925 |
| Traffic Count | 120 Trains/Day (Estimated) |
| Current Status | In Use |
| Significance | Local Significance |
| Documentation Date | 2/26/2023 |
During the early 20th Century, the area immediately north of Chicago saw unprecedented growth. Existing passenger rail service along the existing line Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad (CNS&M) line became crowded. In 1924, the CNS&M began purchasing land for a new line between Howard Street and North Chicago, set several miles from the lake shore. This new route was expected to shorten travel times by 20 minutes, and provide a bypass of the congested shore line route. The first portion to Niles Center opened in 1925, and was jointly constructed by the CNS&M and the Northwestern Elevated Railroad. In 1926, the remainder of the route opened for service, featuring a double track electrified railroad in a private right-of-way. Throughout the 1930s, the railroad financed significant grade separation projects, particularly along US-41. However, the railroad ceased operations in 1963. By 1965, large portions of the track has been removed north of Lake-Cook Road. Between Lake-Cook Road and Dempster Street in Skokie, the railroad was sold to the Chicago & North Western, which became part of Union Pacific Railroad in 1995. The southern section between Skokie and Howard Street became part of the Skokie Swift, a pilot project for mass transit. The railroad featured five miles of length traveled in 6.5 minutes. Since, the route has been re-branded as the CTA Yellow Line. UP abandoned the segment in 2005. From Oakton Street in Skokie to Rockland Road near Waukegan, the grade is used by the Skokie Valley Trail. A gap in the trail currently exists between Skokie and Northfield.
Located north of Howard Street in Evanston, this deck girder bridge carries the CTA Yellow Line over a former alignment of Hartrey Avenue, now a pedestrian path. Built in 1924-1925 during the construction of the line, the bridge consists of a 70-foot deck plate girder span, set onto 40-foot long concrete "skeleton" abutments. Hansell-Elcock Company was contracted to fabricate the superstructure, and the L.E. Meyer Company was contracted to construct the concrete substructures. The bridge officially opened to traffic in March 1925. The deck girders use a standard design, and have a concrete ballast channel installed on them. This design of bridge was commonly used by railroads, as it was durable and easy to construct. Skeleton abutments were commonly used to control costs and maintenance with the approach embankments. This design allowed the approach embankments to be graded at a flatter slope, helping to minimize erosion. Since the initial construction, the bridge has seen little change. The concrete deck appears to have been replaced in the late 20th Century. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, and continues to serve traffic. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design. However, the bridge is an excellent example of a bridge fabricated by Hansell-Elcock, a firm which rarely constructed bridges.
Citations
| Build date and builder (superstructure) | The Iron Age; June 12, 1924 |
| Builder (substructure) | Railway Engineering and Maintenance; Volume 22, Issue 8 |
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |