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| Cortland Street Drawbridge |
|
| Official name |
Cortland Street Drawbridge |
| Carries |
Motor vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles |
| Crosses |
Chicago River |
| Locale |
Chicago, Illinois |
| Opening date |
1902 |
When John Ericson's Cortland Street Drawbridge over the Chicago River opened in 1902 on the north side of Chicago, it was the first fixed-trunnion bascule bridge built in the United States. The bridge was a major advance in American movable bridge engineering, and the type was employed for over 50 additional bridges in Chicago alone. The bridge was designated as an ASCE Civil Engineering Landmark in 1981, and a Chicago Landmark in 1991.
This is the bridge type that Chicago engineers are perhaps most famous for. The trunnion bascule has two bridge leaves hinged on opposing riverbanks. The bridge is drawn up by giant trunnion bearings. Bascule is French for seesaw; the bridge is named for the counterweights which balance the great weight of the bridge leaves. Each of these bridges must be built for a specific location, resulting in no two being exactly alike. [1]
The Cortland Bridge is currently still used for 2-way vehicle traffic, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic.
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