Division Street (16th Street) Bridge - Lockport, IL
Posted by: 
cldisme
N 41° 34.921 W 088° 04.350
16T E 410598 N 4603925
Once a main thoroughfare into Lockport, IL, now an abandoned bridge saved only as a local historic landmark.
Waymark Code: WM266R
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 09/11/2007
Views: 103
Located at the end of the drive (formerly Division Street) into the Lockport Prairie Nature Preserve, the Division Street Bridge no longer fully spans the Des Plaines River. The section over the main channel has been removed to facilitate barge traffic in 1993 after the "High Bridge" for Illinois Route 7 was complete. Only the section to the midpoint island remains over the non-navigable section of the Des Plaines River.
When visiting this site, please keep in mind dogs are not allowed and fishing is not permitted in this prairie preserve.
From the Will County Historic Preservation Commission website listed below:
Constructed circa 1899, the Division Street Bridge spans the Des Plaines River a distance of approximately 511 feet. It is made up of three spans consisting of two truss designs, the Parker Truss and the Pratt Truss. The Pratt Truss was patented in 1844 by Thomas Pratt and his architect father, Caleb Pratt. The original design combined vertical wooden compression members with diagonal iron tension members. Although not initially very popular, as iron became cheaper and more readily available by the late nineteenth century, the Pratt Truss had become one of the principal methods of all steel bridge construction. While the Pratt Truss was only capable of spanning 150 ft., the other 400 ft. were made up of two Parker Trusses, a variation of the Pratt Truss, capable of spanning a greater distance.
Recognized as being among one of the oldest bridge structures in Will County, as well as a standing record of technological achievement in the late nineteenth century, the Division Street Bridge was designated a Will County Historic Landmark on February 16, 1995.
Original Use: Vehicle - Car / Truck
Construction: Iron
Condition: Dangerous
See this website for more information: [Web Link]
Date Built: Not listed
Date Abandoned: Not listed
Bridge Status - Orphaned or Adopted.: Not listed
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