CME.12 – Feasibility Study on IL Rte 1 (Halsted Street) over The Little Calumet River Cook County, Illinois (SN 016-0193)

• Simone Charles
• Gregory Gumushian
• Ali Issa
• Alexander Martinez
• Ismael Sanchez
• Deshawn Williams

The team will conduct a feasibility study to address the structural issues of the IL 1/Halsted St. Bridge over the Little Calumet River (SN016-0193). The IL 1/Halsted St. Bridge over the Little Calumet River (SN016-0193) currently has challenges related to deterioration, load capacity, and safety concerns in both its substructure and superstructure. Given the critical state of the bridge, various alternative solutions must be explored to effectively enhance the bridge’s structural integrity, safety, and longevity. This study aims to evaluate three alternative solutions based on their cost-effectiveness, practicality, and overall success. The first alternative is a complete repair and rehab of the existing structure. This alternative’s initial phase involves a preliminary inspection that will be executed in the form of a visual inspection and load testing to evaluate the bridge’s structural integrity. Following the inspections, a planning and designing phase will commence based on the detailed overview of the required maintenance and improvement data. Based on the preliminary inspection, the substructure and superstructure have a poor rating due to substantial section loss. Analysis will be conducted to determine which members are appropriate for rehabilitation. Analysis results will then be utilized in the civil design phase which incorporates CAD drawings and modeling. The second alternative is to replace the existing truss system with a tied arch system to improve the structural integrity. The tied arch system’s purpose is to lessen the influence of the existing substructure on the load-bearing capacity, reducing the risks associated with the poorly rated substructure. The preliminary inspection of the bridge will be necessary to determine crucial factors such as span length, steel sections, and other structural considerations to facilitate the replacement of the truss system. After compiling all this data, hand calculations, CAD drawings, and models will be used to evaluate this alternative’s feasibility. The third alternative is to replace the existing structure with a steel plate girder bridge and address the roadway profile to solve the bridge’s substructure deterioration. For this alternative, the team plans to use continuous steel beams along the bridge to distribute the loads in a way that favors the substructure. Doing so will alleviate failing portions of varying amounts of stress and make the substructure more appropriate for sustaining the superstructure. If the steel girder is too thick, the profile grade of the roadway must be increased from a current grade of four percent. Raising the approach on both ends of the bridge maintains a minimum waterway vertical clearance of 26 feet. Through hand calculations and assessment of the current bridge, an updated profile grade will be decided. After the designing process, which includes CAD diagrams and models, the plan will then mature into the surveying process, which will include a geotechnical evaluation, and subsequently the construction process.