Gap in Wells Street Bridge affects Brown and Purple Lines

(Above) Workers prepare the Wells Street Bridge on Sunday for a new south leaf. (Photo by J. Phillips. Click on images to view larger versions.)

March 4, 2013 – With the 91-year-old Wells Street Bridge missing its south end, many CTA riders will have to find another way to cross into the Loop. On weekdays through March 10, as new sections of the double-decker bridge are put into place, Brown Line trains will alternate between ending their journey at Merchandise Mart or continuing into the Loop through the State Street subway. Purple Line trains will not run south of the Howard CTA station. Bus shuttles will be available at the Chicago Avenue stop.

On weekends, Brown Line trains will terminate just outside the Loop. Green, Orange, and Pink Line service will also be affected.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel took the opportunity on Sunday to remind Chicagoans that the repairs are “critical” and timed to save money.

“Our infrastructure will be top-level for generations,” said Emanuel at a news conference at the CTA Brown Line stop at Merchandise Mart, “and our commuters will be able to expect outstanding service as they travel to and from work.”

A key transportation link for cars, trains, bicycles, and pedestrians, the bridge, according to Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Gabe Klein, “has outlived its useful life and is in need of a complete reconstruction.”

Besides the bridge, CDOT crews are working on the nearby junction at Wells and Lake Streets, once described as the busiest railroad junction in the world. By doing both projects at the same time, Emanuel says this will reduce the duration of the work by eight days and save the city $500,000.

The south leaf of the bascule bridge was set loose on Saturday at about 6:20 p.m. With a barge in position beneath the bridge, key parts of the structure were cut until the full weight of the leaf rested on the barge, which had been closed to CTA trains since 10 p.m. on Friday.

(Above) Frame from a six-second time-lapse video by Rob Edgcumbe showing the old south leaf of the Wells Street Bridge being taken a short distance away on a barge Saturday night.

(Below) Workers continued dismantling the old bridge section late Sunday night, seen at lower left resting on top of a barge near the south bank of the Chicago River. Wacker Drive is at left. The new section, assembled off-site and floated to Wells Street on a barge, waits its turn on the west side of the bridge.

CTA rail service will be interrupted again on April 26 for nine days as the north end of the bridge is replaced. Except for L trains, the bridge has been closed to traffic since November 5, 2012. It should re-open by November 2013.

More info: CTA Wells Street Bridge Reconstruction

More photos: Chicago Loop Bridges

Video: Wells Street Bridge Night Move

Related story: Wells Street detour starts next week