The railroad was jointly owned by the Illinois Central Railroad, Michigan Central Railroad, Chicago & North Western Railway and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad.
The purpose of the route was to provide a centralized route to connect two eastern railroads to two western railroads.
In the late 1890s, a track elevation was constructed south of downtown Chicago.
Today, the railroad still exists, and is jointly owned by the Canadian National Railway, Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF Railway. In downtown Chicago, the route has significant restrictions, due to aging infrastructure.
12/03/21
This through girder bridge crossed Michigan Street north of 16th Street.
Built in 1899, the bridge featured a trio through girder spans, set onto stone and steel substructures. Unlike other bridges along this route, the piers of this bridge were an ornate design,
As part of an upgrade of the St. Charles Airline, the bridge was replaced between 2020 and 2021. However, the plan is to preserve at least part of the decorative piers for reuse. It is unknown if this actually happened.
Overall, the bridge appeared to be in poor to serious condition at the time of demolition, with significant structural deterioration. The condition of this section of bridges has limited the speed on the route to 10 mph.
The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.