- 1836: Galena and Chicago Union Railroad charted between Chicago and Galena, Illinois
- 1848: 10 miles completed from Chicago to Oak Park, Illinois by the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad
- 1849: 20 miles completed from Oak Park to West Chicago, Illinois by the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad
- 1854: 68 miles completed from West Chicago to Dixon, Illinois by the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad
- 1855: 39 miles completed from Dixon to East Clinton, Illinois by the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad
- 1855: 10 miles double tracked from Chicago to Oak Park
- 1856: 20 miles double tracked from Oak Park to West Chicago
- 1864: G&CU consolidated with the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1884: 15 miles double tracked from West Chicago to Elburn
- 1889: Remainder of line double tracked from Elburn to East Clinton
- 1893-95: Track elevated from Sacramento Boulevard to 40th Street (Pulaski Road)
- 1905: Track elevated from Ashland Avenue to Sacramento Boulevard
- 1908-13: Track elevated from Pulaski Road to Thatcher Avenue River Forest and additional tracks built
- 1909-11: Track realigned, elevated and expanded for new Chicago Terminal
- 1910: 13 mile bypass of Dixon completed by the Lee County Railway Company
- 1910: C&NW purchases the Lee County Railway Company
- 1995: Chicago & North Western purchased by Union Pacific Railroad
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Geneva Subdivision from Chicago to East Clinton
- 2006-Present: Metra operates the Union Pacific West Line between Elburn and Chicago
06/26/21
Located at the intersection of West Kinzie Street and N. Clinton Street in the Near West Side neighborhood, this large viaduct crosses W. Kinzie Street.
Built in 1910 as the C&NW built a new station, the bridge consists of two separate faces. Because the bridge is located on a curve, it consists of a complex set of deck plate girder spans, set onto steel towers and concrete abutments. The west face consists of seven such spans, and is curved outwards and skewed to accommodate the Geneva Subdivision. The east face consists of twelve spans, and has a large through girder span.
The east face also is considerably more complex, because a Union Pacific spur runs underneath the east track before turning east near the south end of the bridge.
It is also unknown if the bridge was originally designed as presently seen, or if it had a protective facade on it. The bridge is listed as a concrete encased beam on railroad documents.
The bridge also consists of a ballasted deck. As one of the largest rail junctions in Chicago lies north of this bridge, the bridge is six tracks wide, and all are in use.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to poor condition. Some deterioration of metal components on this bridge was noted, although October 2018 street views show repair efforts on the bridge.
The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.