Rating:
2 votes

Metra - Cal-Sag Bridge

Cook County, Illinois

Photos 

Photo taken by Steve Conro in September 2012

Enlarge

BH Photo #240634

Map 

Street Views 

Description 

This pair of polygonal Warren through trusses was built by the Rock Island Railroad to carry three tracks across the Calumet Sag Channel into Downtown Chicago. The east bridge carries two tracks, and the west bridge one track. It is just east of the Blue Island Yard 5 Bridges, and practically underneath the Western Avenue high bridge. Today they carry numerous Metra Rock Island Line commuter trains every day, and an occasional freight train. A commuter train station is at the north end of the bridges.

Facts 

Overview
Pair of through truss bridges over Calumet Sag Channel on Metra Rock Island Line
Location
Blue Island, Cook County, Illinois
Status
Open to traffic
Railroads
- Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad (CRIP (1866-1920); RI (1920-1975) ROCK (1975-1980))
- Commuter Rail
- Metra (METX)
Design
Pair of polygonal Warren through truss bridges with all verticals.
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 400.0 ft.
Approximate latitude, longitude
+41.65226, -87.68056   (decimal degrees)
41°39'08" N, 87°40'50" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
16/443331/4611392 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Blue Island
Inventory number
BH 44257 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

Blue Island, Illinois (7)
Calumet-Sag Channel (22)
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad (1,165)
Commuter Rail (439)
Cook County, Illinois (491)
Have street view (29,907)
Illinois (4,954)
Metra (99)
Open (41,202)
 Owned by railroad (13,728)
Polygonal Warren through truss (473)
Polygonal Warren through truss with all verticals (136)
Polygonal Warren truss (1,160)
Skewed (5,073)
Span length 250-500 feet (1,285)
Through truss (17,875)
Truss (36,780)
Warren truss (7,090)

Update Log 

  • September 13, 2016: Updated by Roger Deschner: Added photo, street views, link to historicbridges.org
  • November 7, 2015: Updated by Roger Deschner: Merge info from duplicate BH50116 into here; RR was Rock Island, not Illinois Central
  • September 30, 2012: New photos from Steve Conro
  • September 26, 2012: New photos from Steve Conro
  • September 22, 2012: Updated by Steve Conro: Added category "Illinois Central Railroad"
  • February 27, 2010: Added by Kim Harvey

Sources 

Comments 

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