Lake Shore Drive Bridge - Illinois
Industrial Infrastructure | Transportation | Highways & Bridges | Foundations | Illinois
Project Summary
This project, recognized as one of the Top 10 Bridge Projects of 2021 by Roads & Bridges magazine, marks the final phase of a major infrastructure upgrade to support the new lakefront trail in Chicago. The project involved constructing a new bike path over the Chicago River on the east side of the Lake Shore Drive Bridge, passing through both the northeast and southeast bridge towers.
Key components included installing five submarine cables across the river between bridge houses, a new DC electric control system, upgraded traffic signals and gates, enhanced lighting along the lakefront bicycle trail, and new foundations for the bridge houses. Micropiles were drilled to support these new foundations, and the bridge's stability was further reinforced by extending existing boathouses on either side of Lake Shore Drive.
A unique challenge of this project was executing the work from floating barges and boats, often operating a drill rig and support crane simultaneously on the barge. The team underwent specialized training to ensure safe operations, and extensive value-engineering was conducted to optimize equipment and material configurations for efficiency.
To address the limited space within the bridge towers, Aldridge utilized advanced digital scanning to create a BIM model of the entire project, enabling precise planning and installation of the electrical conduits. Off-site prefabrication further streamlined the process, enhancing safety and productivity while overcoming space constraints.
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