We are used to wonders in Chicago. So much so that often we don't even notice them in front of us. For example, the 32 bridges spanning the Chicago River. They are solidly in place, most of the time, and we hurry across, doing the Point A to Point B two-step, barely registering that we are walking on water, nearly. Walking above water anyway.
But the bridges are not always where they are supposed to be. In summer they go up—our normality twisting, the street rearing into the sky, light poles tilting at a crazy angle. And even then, we tend not to be thrilled. A routine part of city life; happens all the time. We're used to it. If anything, we're mildly irritated, or else merely wait, docile as cows, swishing our tails, the more romantic among us maybe sneaking a glance over the rail, down at the river to see the sailboats or a gravel barge going by. The rest peck a few "moos" into our phones.
Who stops to wonder, "How do they do that?" Lift an enormous bridge? A motor of some sort, right? Yes, but there's also something more. Something hidden; a secret.
These downtown Chicago bridges are called bascule bridges, "bascule" being French for "seesaw," and they raise with relative ease because the bridge leaf tilting into the air is only half the story, literally. While each half of the bridge lifts up, another half, not of equal length but of equal weight, heavy with concrete and iron, drops down, unseen, into a watertight pit.
Bascule bridges were developed here -- the first Chicago Style Trunnion Bascule Bridge opened March 24, 1902, at Cortland Street, then Clybourn Place. It's still there.
"Trunnion" is another old French word, originally meaning "tree"(we get our word "trunk" from the same root). Originally, it described the stumpy pins that stick out of either side of a cannon so it can pivot on its carriage. With a bridge, the trunnion is the massive steel shaft that the span teeter-totters on. It bears the structure's entire weight.
As with new tires, new bridges must be balanced—just as lead weights are added inside a tire rim so it spins true, so cast iron cubes, one foot on a side and weighing 445 pounds each, are added to or removed from special "pockets" within the bridge until the span is balanced. The process demands attention to detail. For instance, the fiber reinforced polymer sidewalk decking used in the new Wells Street bridge is lighter than wood, so the counterbalance had to be lightened, while other elements of the bridge were made heavier to compensate—the pedestrian railings are typically fiberglass, but Wells Street uses cast steel. Fine-tuning the balance is important—an out-of-whack bridge can abruptly snap up, as the Michigan Avenue Bridge did with near-disastrous results in 1992, toppling a crane onto the riverbank, tossing a wrecking ball into a parked car, injuring six people.
The riverbank below is a reminder why we need bridges that open, because the Chicago River is relatively low banked and narrow — the giant suspension bridges in New York City wouldn't work here. The East River is 2,000 feet across where the Brooklyn Bridge crosses it; the Chicago River, at Michigan Avenue, only about 250 feet wide. We invented bascule bridges out of necessity.
The bridges are designed to balance at two points—when closed and when open — the motors doing the work of nudging them from one state of equilibrium to another. Bridge engineer Dipal P. Vimawala expressed this in a lovely sentence: "Balancing occurs," he wrote, in a report to the city, "when the Resisting Moment equals the Overturning Moment."
Yes, exactly. A similar process occurs in people. Being ourselves out of balance, we try to compensate by making it a habit to hurry. We come upon an open bridge, and even though it doesn't happen too often, our first instinct is annoyance—damn!—followed by an urge to scoot a block down and cross there, so as to waste time rushing instead of waste time waiting. This is the resisting moment. But, if you're lucky, you immediately realize that the delay isn't all that long, the thing being rushed toward not all that important, and rather than resist what fate has served you by fleeing, why not just linger and enjoy it? This is the overturning moment, when you upend whatever momentary concern is prodding you forward and just be. Shrug and admit, really, there is no better way to pass a few minutes in the summer in Chicago than to accept this momentary leap of ordinary life. Study the bridge going up. Appreciate it more by remembering the hidden part, the secret that most people don't even know is there. The mystery within. To seize this uplift and welcome it, leaning on the rail, at ease, watching a clutch of sleek white sailboats drift by. For a moment—maybe the best moment of the day— equilibrium is restored.
Pictured above: The Lake Street Bridge.
Congratulations on your new blog. Sure, in its own way, watching bridges go up and down is kind of cool. I wouldn't sit there watching them all day long but once in a while it's a nice little bit of engineering to observe.
ReplyDeleteAllow me to diverge from the bridges over the Chicago river, what I'm kind of concerned about is the deterioration of the bridges in the city overall. Just going under some of the bridges you'll see a tremendous amount of rust and cracks. Sometimes the entire steel grating is exposed. These really needs a lot of serious and urgent attention.
Nice start! I am also very happy I can comment again.
ReplyDeleteI give boat tours on the Chicago River, and I can assure you that tourists do NOT take the bridge raising for granted. They're consistently wowed. Of course, the path to their destination is not blocked, but nevertheless, it's a constant reminder for me how cool it is to see.
ReplyDeleteFormal welcome to the blogosphere. I hope yours is a long and lucrative stay.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Neil. The equilibrium of having a Steinberg column to read daily is restored. As to Steve's comment infrastructure is in horrible disarray. It is to some, the second role of any government after defense one would argue it should have a higher priority. Alas it does not.
ReplyDeleteAll the best, thank you for this.
ReplyDeleteGood on ya, Neil. It's great to have you back every day.
ReplyDeleteThank you Neil! I look forward to being a daily visitor.
ReplyDeleteAt the risk of sounding like Rush Limbaugh, meggadittos - looking forward to reading every G_d blessed day!
ReplyDeleteThank you Neil! I look forward to being a daily visitor.
ReplyDeleteNeil, I am northsidephil.
ReplyDeleteWhile Paris' bridges are beautiful, Chicago's are - well it sounds a little silly but- neat to watch. When the sail boat's come out every spring and go back every fall, the procession of the boats and thus the bridges is a wonderful ballet.
ReplyDeleteNice metaphor - and a great comfort to be reading you regularly again. Looking forward to more.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't you have Photoshopped the graffiti off of the Lake St. bridge?
ReplyDeleteThanks Neil. Landmarks Illinois listed these amazing bridges on the 2013 Ten Most Endangered list. http://www.landmarks.org/ten_most_2013_chicago_bascule_bridges.htm
ReplyDeleteNice job and welcome to blogging Neil! Hope you enjoy it and continue on.
ReplyDeleteTam Lindquist
Great subject to start your blog.
ReplyDeleteHow I wish you had written this "master" piece and I had read it back in the early 80's when I was young, dumb and...... a lead-foot. Running late, as usual, I could have used this clear logic and enormous reasoning as I was rushing toward the courthouse on LaSalle St. from the south side of the river to confront a sleepy, bored judge clad in his/her black robe and dishing out punishments like it was candy. Back in those days, I used to approach the bench, plead guilty and, with a sad and rueful look on my face, ask him/her for supervision. The judge would look at the prosecutor who would then sift through a bible of dot-matrix printed sheets of paper looking for the date of my last citation. If none was found for the last six months or so, I would be granted the supervision with the customary $50 fee for taking up the court's time..... as if they had anything better to do. I mean..... I assume they were getting paid. In any event, this masterfully written piece, brought me back to that very point in my life. Thanks, Neil.
ReplyDeleteSteinberg posts:
ReplyDelete[The bridges are designed to balance at two points -- when closed and when open -- the motors doing the work of nudging them from one state of equilibrium to another. Bridge engineer Dipal P. Vimawala expressed this in a lovely sentence: "Balancing occurs," he wrote, in a report to the city, "when the Resisting Moment equals the Overturning Moment."]
But just to be a metaphorical contrarian –
How is progress to be made if equilibrium is the goal? Things may be stuck in a local equilibrium – a marble in a bowl – unable to reach -- or even perceive – a preferred state somewhere else.
The “arrow of time” and entropy are two enemies of equilibrium. So are “fat tailed” – non-Gaussian (i.e. non-bell curve) distributions. So is a guy’s beast.
Steinberg posts:
ReplyDelete[The bridges are designed to balance at two points -- when closed and when open -- the motors doing the work of nudging them from one state of equilibrium to another. Bridge engineer Dipal P. Vimawala expressed this in a lovely sentence: "Balancing occurs," he wrote, in a report to the city, "when the Resisting Moment equals the Overturning Moment."]
But just to be a metaphorical contrarian –
How is progress to be made if equilibrium is the goal? Things may be stuck in a local equilibrium – a marble in a bowl – unable to reach -- or even perceive – a preferred state somewhere else.
The “arrow of time” and entropy are two enemies of equilibrium. So are “fat tailed” – non-Gaussian (i.e. non-bell curve) distributions. So is a guy’s beast.
I'm late to this post but wanted to be part of the first (of many) pages in your wonderful new blog. Congrats and much success!
ReplyDeleteAn antique story: Back in the network radio days a taxi full of actors was trying to get from the south side of the river to the Wrigley building before air time. They were on the upper level, the quick thinking cab driver quickly maneuvered to lower Wacker and told the cast he'd just take the lower level of the bridge.
ReplyDeleteExcellent story. Fascinating stuff for history nerds like myself.
ReplyDeleteGlad I travelled back in time to read your first, I learned a couple things. From day one commenters, like me, would double post, not sure if they'd succeeded on the first try. Living away during the early 90s I had not heard about the leaping bridge. Having walked across them thousands of times, I'd never imagined the Michigan Ave. bridge flinging me into Grant Park. In 1967 I worked in the mailroom at ABC for the Summer. Delivering schedules to various offices, coffee mugs for Irv Kupcinet and even a television to Zsa Zsa Gabor, the river and its' bridges always deserved my attention. The variety of boats was a treat, from the cement ships to the newsprint deliveries beneath your old office. The area along the river is a delight for Chicagoans who take the time to ponder the history or technology. Those that rail about delays are the same people who complain about the rain, forgetting that their very life depends on it.
ReplyDeletelooks like your 10th anniversary is coming up! how you plan to celebrate
ReplyDeleteI've given that some thought, and decided to mark the occasion quietly.
DeleteI was hoping for a picnic. would that be ok?
DeleteGo for it. Am I invited?
DeleteMazel tov on the tenth anniversary of EGD. Confidently anticipating the low-key bar mitzvah of EGD in 2026. Maybe at the small hotel at Surf and Broadway, where I had mine in 1960. It was called the Surf Hotel then.
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