City Selling Historic Chicago Bridge

CHICAGO, IL — Earlier this month, the city announced that the historic Chicago Avenue bridge is up for sale. The city is seeking a patron who will pay for the bridge's removal and preserve it, according to a public notice. The city is accepting proposals to save the bridge until July 13, the notice said.

The bridge qualifies for the National Register of Historic Places, so under federal law, the city must first try to sell it before demolishing it.

Anyone who's interested in purchasing the bridge needs to send their "means" for moving the structure and a timetable for the move that will coordinate with the bridge replacement project schedule, the city said.

The 100-year-old bridge will be replaced by a new concrete and steel bridge, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

No proposals have been received yet, the city said.

The Chicago Avenue bridge was built in 1914, making it one of the oldest bridges in the city of its kind: it's a 'pony truss bascule' bridge — its deck is between the chords, it has no lateral bracing and it has a moveable portion that's lowered and raised using counterweights.

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