Chicago Contractor Rushes To Repair 100-Year-Old Lift Bridge

Photo by Tudor Van Hampton

The U.S. Coast Guard gave Illinois Constructors Corp. just five days to make critical repairs to a 1912-era railroad bridge on Chicago's South Side, but the $1-million job took seven.

The U.S. Coast Guard gave Illinois Constructors Corp. just five days to make critical repairs to a 1912-era railroad bridge on Chicago's South Side, but the $1-million job took seven. "The unknown is the biggest challenge," says Rusy Micheff, ICC's operations manager. Keeping the bridge open to rail traffic, workers replaced a fatigued shaft that rotates a 60,000-lb cable drum atop the 220-ft-tall movable bridge. The drum had to be bored out to accept a new shaft, causing delays.

After a short stint as a freelance contributor to ENR, Tudor joined the editorial staff in 2002 and was a managing editor. His areas of expertise included construction equipment, trucks, tools, materials and global construction. He was a certified crane operator and reported heavy construction news in the U.S. and outside—including Europe, Dubai, India and China.

Post a comment to this article

Enhancing Collaboration and Surpassing Traditional Design-Build Methods with Progressive Design-Build

Earn: 1 PDH; 1 AIA LU/Elective; 0.1 IACET CEU

Progressive Design-Build is reshaping large infrastructure projects by addressing key issues with the traditional Design-Build approach. We'll explore how PDB fosters collaboration between owners, design-builders, and design teams to develop a well-defined scope and budget, plus minimizes cost overruns and reduces liability claims.