Because the road and railroad met at such an acute angle, it took a long bridge to get across the tracks. Now Ogden has curves and hills to use a relatively short underpass.
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| Bill Neill shared Milo Mckain Double stack would never make it. Joe Sonderman posted July 1, 1939 – A million dollar grade separation on Highway 66 and at Ogden and Cicero Avenues opened to traffic. The 1,900 foot long viaduct at the time was the largest single highway structure ever erected in the Chicago area. Prior to completion, Ogden (US 66 and 34) and Cicero shared a tight four lane roadway under the Burlington Railroad. Don Weixl That is a wild looking bridge. A very unique support for the 2nd and 3rd bridge span. Larry Howard The old roller coaster bridge. Timothy Leppert I was on site representing the Burlington when the demolition contractors deconstructed it. They walked along those top girders carrying cutting torches....period. Chris Nantus shared Jim Arvites posted View of the grade separation of Route 66 at Ogden and Cicero Avenues over the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad tracks at Cicero, Illinois. (State Historical Society of Missouri) Jason Moors My sense of direction was off for a few seconds--thought initially we were looking east but those bridge girder things at ground level threw me--then I remembered that the original Cicero stop was further east than today's location,so we are looking west--there is a decent view of this overpass in a scene from Pentrex's video on the BN E-units. Timothy Leppert Jason Moors you can see East End Tower in the distance. Dennis DeBruler My sense of direction has been off for many moons. Thanks for clarifying that we are looking West. Unlike the LaVergne and Hump Towers, it appears the East End Tower is still standing. https://www.google.com/.../@41.8433736,-87.../data=!3m1!1e3 Jim Arvites posted View of the overpass of Route 66 at Ogden and Cicero Avenues over the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad tracks at Cicero, Illinois. (State Historical Society of Missouri) |
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| Jack Voss commented on Jim's post Ogden Avenue Viaduct [This gives us a good view of the East End Tower.] |
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| Glen Miller posted Ogden Avenue bridge over Cicero Ave. with the huge Western Electric Hawthorne Works complex in the background. The house I grew up in is just out of frame in the upper left of the photo. Unknown year. In 1998 National Wrecking Company took down the Ogden Avenue Bridge in Cicero, Illinois. The long bridge spanned over Cicero Avenue and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad. The bridge was built in 1940. It grew old and weight restrictions were imposed, the right lane was closed to traffic. It was close to collapsing so it was taken down in 1998 and the current alignment opened in 2001. Eillam Nava posted with the same comment. [So who plagiarized who?] Eillam Ruile shared |
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| Edward Kwiatkowski posted The Ogden Avenue highway overpass Bridge. Cicero Illinois, circa 1986. ( Gone.) |
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| eypilot13 Flickr 1988 Photo 3/17/88: The great steel bridge that brought Ogden Avenue over the East end of Cicero Yard. I miss this cool bridge! This is a northeast view, the factory in the background (part of the former Western Electric complex is, of course, long gone and now a Menards is in that location. |
David M Laz posted the following four pictures with the comment:
I miss the Ogden Avenue Bridge over the BNSF tracks At the east end of the Cicero yard. It always gave a great view of the yard and besides, now there is a stoplight for 26th street. We used to be able to drive on Ogden from Kostner to Austin (or opposite) without hitting a single light!
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| William Shapotkin posted (source) We are in Cicero, IL viewing bus #2365, working a W/B trip on CTA Rt #58 -- Ogden, as it heads W/B in 26th St, x/o CIcero Ave, passing under the (then) CB&Q and US 66 (Ogden Ave) overcrossings in this undated photo (bus will terminate at Laramie Ave -- just 1/2 mile west of this point). View looks east. |
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| William Shapotkin posted (source) |
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| rte66, Item 3 Lost RR Viaduct on Ogden Ave. in Cicero (Ogden at Cicero Ave.). Date Built: 1938; rehabbed in 1959; removed in 1999 (not replaced). Type: 24-sman mix of pony and Warren Through Truss with Verticals. [Actually, it was eventually replaced, but with an underpass.] |
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| Edward Kwiatkowski posted The former Burlington Northern Railroad Clyde Yard in Cicero Illinois. June 1985. [The overpass is in the left background.] |
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| Edward Kwiatkowski posted A Burlington Northern Railroad EMD diesel switcher locomotive at work, at the BN's Clyde Yard facility in Cicero Illinois. June, 1985. In the background is the Ogden Avenue highway overpass bridge, which has long since been demolished. Joey BagOdonuts: I actually have pictures of the bridge being removed or dismantled if you're interested. Walter Czerwinski: I hired out on the Burlington Northern at Cicero Yard, and I used to run that engine in the late '70's and early '80's. |
Joey BadOdontus posted six images with the comment: "I love old pics of Cicero where I grew up.. I actually worked at the Cicero Sam's Club when they dismantled the Ogden Bridge.. I always kept a disposable camera in my car.. AND I'm not sure . But that might be "BIG BOY" passing through there on the BN.. before it was the BNSF.. I don't know.. I was just excited to see a steam engine. Thx. Enjoy" [Correction: Milwaukee Road 261]
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| 6 Rick La Fever: Milwaukee Road 261 on a fan trip movement. |
ShutterStock has the bridge in the background.
"The street follows the route of the Southwestern Plank Road, which opened in 1848 across swampy terrain between Chicago and Riverside, Illinois, and was extended to Naperville by 1851." [Wikipedia] I see from Google Maps that it was part of the Historic US-66 in Cicero. In Downers Grove it still is part of US-34. Our local museum has preserved a plank from the road.
Before this overpass was built, Ogden joined Cicero Avenue south of the tracks, used the Cicero Avenue underpass, then headed east again. In the aerial below, we can see they have built the piers (red rectangles) and the embankment and steel girders for the western approach (yellow rectangle). They also seem to be constructing the truss on the approach to then move east over the piers.
"The street follows the route of the Southwestern Plank Road, which opened in 1848 across swampy terrain between Chicago and Riverside, Illinois, and was extended to Naperville by 1851." [Wikipedia] I see from Google Maps that it was part of the Historic US-66 in Cicero. In Downers Grove it still is part of US-34. Our local museum has preserved a plank from the road.
Before this overpass was built, Ogden joined Cicero Avenue south of the tracks, used the Cicero Avenue underpass, then headed east again. In the aerial below, we can see they have built the piers (red rectangles) and the embankment and steel girders for the western approach (yellow rectangle). They also seem to be constructing the truss on the approach to then move east over the piers.
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| 1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP |
I've seen this bridge in the background of photos of Clyde Yard, for example Flickr and Flickr. I have not been able to determine why this bridge was torn down. Was it a clearance issue for autoracks and double-stack containers or did the state let the bridge rot away? Jerry's photo above shows that it had four lanes, which is the current capacity of Ogden. (Update: it rotted away. The state reduced it to 2 lanes by blocking the other lanes and added weight restrictions to extend its life.)
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Rob Olewinski Cmraseye posted
Milwaukee 261 on the east end of Clyde Yard, Cicero, IL on 8/29/98, sliding under the Ogden Ave. overpass being dismantled. K64 Rob Olewinski Cmraseye commented on a postSeen in August '98 being dismantled. Rob Olewinski Cmraseye posted 'nother going away shot of the BNSF employee appreciation effort lead by MILW 261 August 29, 1998, taken near the former Ogden Ave. overpass at the east end of Clyde Yard in Cicero, IL |
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| NationalWrecking |
Its removal must have been an emergency, because in Mar, 1999, the overpass is gone, but work has just started on the underpass for 25th Place.
They finally restored access from Ogden to Cicero so that the old underpass could be used again.
In the 3/20/2001 image, a cloud is in the way, but they are still digging dirt.
Three years later, they finally had today's replacement done. It seems to me that an overpass for Ogden's traffic was a better solution for Ogden. But this configuration may be a better solution for the parade of intermodal trucks that go to the BNSF yard. Also, I-290 was supposed to relieve the traffic load for Ogden. But, for years, I-290 is clogged whenever I go to town independent of the hour of the day and the day of the week. It is just a question of how long the clogs are.
Looking at a 1929 topo map shows that Ogden used to share an underpass with Cicero Avenue.
By 1953 the Ogden overpass was built. And the connection between Manufacturers' Junction and the east end of CB&Q's Clyde (Cicero) Yard had been severed where it crossed Cicero Avenue.
The latest topo map that is available is 1997.
1986 Flickr photo
Arturo Gross Flickr 1994 Photo taken from the overpass of a CN train coming off the BRC and heading westbound on the Racetrack.
A couple of trusses show up in the background of this Arturo Gross Flickr 1998 Photo of a CN train heading south on BRC tracks.
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| Goolge Earth Pro, 3/21/1999 |
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| Goolge Earth Pro, 1/7/2000 |
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| Goolge Earth Pro, 10/10/2000 |
Three years later, they finally had today's replacement done. It seems to me that an overpass for Ogden's traffic was a better solution for Ogden. But this configuration may be a better solution for the parade of intermodal trucks that go to the BNSF yard. Also, I-290 was supposed to relieve the traffic load for Ogden. But, for years, I-290 is clogged whenever I go to town independent of the hour of the day and the day of the week. It is just a question of how long the clogs are.
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| Goolge Earth Pro, 2/21/2002 |
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| 1929 Englewood 1:24,000 Quadrangle |
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| 1953 Englewood 1:24,000 Quadrangle |
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| 1929 Englewood 1:24,000 Quadrangle |
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| Edward Kwiatkowski posted The former Burlington Northern Railroad Clyde Yard in Cicero Illinois. June 1985. Mike Croy When I was a switchman at Corwith, I would occasionally catch the job that made a nightly delivery to the “Q” at Cicero yard. The train was generally short, consisting of LCL boxcars released of of the freight houses. It sure was a busy place in those days. Timothy Leppert This was called the valley, a classification yard. Eastend Tower is still there, but the Ogden Avenue bridge is gone. John Davis I noticed, no graffiti on the box cars! |
1986 Flickr photo
Arturo Gross Flickr 1994 Photo taken from the overpass of a CN train coming off the BRC and heading westbound on the Racetrack.
A couple of trusses show up in the background of this Arturo Gross Flickr 1998 Photo of a CN train heading south on BRC tracks.
Bridge had gone weak by 1995. Right lane blocked both directions. Also weight restrictions.
ReplyDeleteah i see! I'm doing this for my bridge design HW, and this was unfortunately, a mediocre source of information... hope to see better next time!
ReplyDelete