Erie Street Swing Bridge

• 1855: 45 miles completed from Chicago to the Illinois State Line by the Chicago and Milwaukee Railroad
• 1855: 40 miles completed from Illinois State Line to Milwaukee, Wisconsin by the Green Bay, Milwaukee & Chicago Railroad
• 1857: GBM&C acquired by the Milwaukee and Chicago Railroad
• 1863: M&C and C&M become part of the Chicago and Milwaukee Railway
• 1881: C&M acquired by the Chicago, Milwaukee & North Western Railway
• 1882: Second track constructed from Chicago to Evanston
• 1883: CM&NW acquired by the Chicago & North Western Railway
• 1888-1895: Second track constructed from Evanston to Milwaukee
• 1898: Third track constructed from Chicago to Rose Hill and track elevated
• 1910: Third track constructed from Rose Hill to Wilmette and track elevated
• 1911: Realignment in Chicago for new station
• 1966: National Avenue (Milwaukee)-Capitol Drive segment abandoned
• 1981: Third track removed from Chicago to Wilmette
• 1981: Metra begins operations between Chicago and Kenosha as the Union Pacific North Line
• 1987: Second track removed from Kenosha to National Avenue
• 1995: Chicago & North Western purchased by Union Pacific Railroad
• 2009: Wiscona-Capitol Drive segment abandoned, acquired for trail use
• 1984-Present: Metra operates the Union Pacific North Line from Chicago to Kenosha
• 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Kenosha Subdivision from Chicago to National Avenue
• 2014-Present: Oak Leaf Trail runs between Milwaukee and Wiscona

This swing bridge replaced an original 1890 bridge, which crossed the river on the C&NW mainline from Milwaukee to Chicago, with a critical connection to Saint Paul.
The bridge once carried the Chicago to Twin Cities "Twin Cities 400", which prided itself on being able to get between Chicago and Saint Paul in 400 minutes. Today, Amtrack cannot even come close.
When this bridge was built, it was constructed on temporary platforms and shifted into place after the old one was removed. This all happened very quickly, so traffic was never disrupted.

Process of installing the new span, from the Railway Age-Gazette; Volume 58

The current bridge consists of a large double track Quadrangular Through Truss swing span, with I-Beam approaches.
While the bridge has sat abandoned for many years, proposals have been made to creatively reuse the bridge. One segment, known as the Trestle Park, opened in 2018 and was confined to the approach.
However, the City of Milwaukee commissioned a study to determine a concept to make reusing this bridge feasible.
One of the concepts features a very unique design, including leaving the swing span in its current open position, and using pedestrian bridges to access the main span.
Overall, the bridge remains in fair condition. Work could be done to rebuild the bridge and make it safe for pedestrian traffic.

The author has ranked the bridge as being regionally significant. Despite the newer age, the possibility of unique adaption and reuse raises the significance of this bridge.
The photo above is an overview.