Feel the rumble beneath your feet. That’s the Montrose Avenue Bridge. We’re standing on a piece of Chicago history. This isn’t just any bridge. It’s a survivor. A testament to engineering and resilience.
The original Montrose Avenue Bridge opened in 1957. It spanned the Kennedy Expressway. A three-unit concrete marvel of its time. But time takes its toll. The old bridge was showing its age. So what did they do? They didn’t just patch it up. Oh no. They decided to completely replace it.
A $16 million project. Think about that. That’s a lot of money for a bridge. But this wasn’t just any replacement. This was an upgrade. Wider sidewalks. Dedicated bike lanes. Modern LED lighting. They even improved the lighting under the bridge and over the nearby Blue Line station.
Imagine the logistics. Removing a three-unit concrete bridge without closing down the entire Kennedy Expressway. It was a feat of modern engineering. They took it down one unit at a time over three weekends. They kept the Blue Line station open too. That’s impressive.
The south side was rebuilt in 2020. The final pieces were completed in the summer of 2021. The bridge reopened to traffic. There were even plans for sharrows. Those are those little bike symbols painted on the road. Shared lanes for cyclists and cars. Not everyone was happy about this compromise.
But stand here. Look around you. Feel the solidity of this new structure. It’s a statement. A commitment to the future. The Montrose Avenue Bridge stands tall. Ready for the next chapter. It’s a symbol of progress in Chicago. A connection that keeps people moving. And it connects us to the past too. A reminder of how far we’ve come. A bridge to the future built upon the foundations of the past.