- 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
08/26/21
Located in the Roscoe Village neighborhood of Chicago, this bridge crosses West School Street at the intersection of Ravenswood Avenue.
Built in 1897 as the track elevation progressed, the bridge features a single through girder span, set onto stone substructures. The bridge was originally built for three tracks, although the western track is now unused.
Metra has plans to eventually replace this bridge and 10 others in the area. Work is expected to begin in 2023 and finish in 2027.
As one of the earlier track elevations in Chicago, this bridge and the others in the area feature through girder spans, a typical predecessor to the later concrete spans.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in poor condition, with significant deterioration.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design and large numbers of similar bridges in the area.
The photo above is an overview.