May 1, 2015 – The 200-foot-tall crane that commuted to work from the south branch of the Chicago River last Sunday was on the job this week.

The crane is working at 150 North Riverside, the construction site just south of the Lake Street Bridge, installing 100,000 pounds of pre-cast concrete beams. The crane was scheduled to be moved the previous Sunday but the trip was postponed due to high winds in the forecast, according to Chicago Department of Transportation. Assembled and loaded near the Canal Street Bridge, south of Ping Tom Memorial Park, the barge was pushed by tugboat north almost to Lake Street. The trip took about four hours. (Left) The crane towers over the Lake Street Bridge, seen here from the Franklin Street Bridge.

(Above) Construction site at 150 North Riverside. Metra commuter train at left. Two other construction sites can be seen in the distance, River Point and Wolf Point. (Below) Closer view from Randolph Street Bridge. The crane sits on a round track that rotates.

The planks will cover the seven commuter rail tracks that lead to Union Station. On top of the steel will be a one-acre public park and a 53-story office tower. The planks will run horizontally over the tracks to support a new roof. They will rest on walls built by Amtrak, which owns the tracks and Union Station.

The barge will be here for about two months. The crane will operate mostly at night, between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., until the last two weeks, when it will work during the day. It will go back to Canal Street in mid-June.

(Right) 150 North Riverside, designed by Goettsch Partners, imagined from the southeast. Top photo by J. Phillips. Other photos by Steven Dahlman.