Are Chicago Bridges Falling Down? Not Yet

It’s been more than a month since a bridge in Baltimore collapsed, and is anyone else wondering about the state of bridges in Chicago? Hint: It’s not great.

What’s Wrong With Chicago Bridges?

One in every six bridges in the city is “structurally deficient,” or in poor condition, according to an ABC7 analysis of National Bridge Inventory data. Not only are the bridges old, but they went decades without funding for maintenance.

What Are Some Examples?

Three bridges in the city are considered “fracture critical,” meaning they’re close to collapsing if just one key element of the structure fails, according to Bloomberg City Lab. That includes:

• The Lake Street Bridge
• The Chicago Avenue Bridge
• The Harlem Avenue Bridge

Even if bridges aren’t completely failing, a middle-of-the-road rating is still dangerous: The 18th Street Bridge is seeing a lot of corrosion, and the bridge at Western and Pershing had a piece fall off a couple weeks ago.

It’s Not Just Chicago …

Illinois has the third-highest number of structurally deficient bridges in the nation, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association.

So What Are Officials Doing About It?

Gov. JB Pritzker’s Rebuild Illinois plan has devoted $25 billion to road and bridge repairs. But it's a slow process. In 2019, the state identified 4,129 bridges that needed repairs. Last year? 4,125.