41ST AND 43RD STREET BRIDGES
Iconic gateway bridges for Chicago

Cordogan Clark & Associates' designs for the 41st and 43rd Street Pedestrian Bridges won an international design competition held by the City of Chicago. They feature double-curved arch mono trusses to form large, graceful S-curves. The leisurely curves of the bridges recall Olmsted's original walkways for the Chicago Parks, while extending this park aesthetic westward over Lake Shore Drive. The horizontal and vertical curves of the bridges create a graceful urban promenade that is visually dynamic from any approach.

The sleek, dynamic forms of the pedestrian bridges continue Chicago's tradition of structural expressiveness. The double curvature adds structural rigidity and wind resistance while having a simple profile with minimal detailing. Slender and elegant arches provide the structure for a curving deck that widens midspan and projects outwards to form grand balconies. The bridges glide gently to a rest in the park by ramps supported on tapering rustic prairie-stone. Energy-efficient lighting parallel to the surface of the deck provides continuous, low-glare illumination along the entire span of the bridges. This indirect lighting highlights the curving silhouettes of the bridges and adds visual drama to the landscape at night. AECOM is the structural and civil engineer for these bridges.

41st Street Pedestrian Bridge Project
Project Awards

Chicago Building Congress
2019 Merit Award Winner – Infrastructure Construction

CMAA (Construction Management Association of America)
Chicago Chapter 2019 Construction Management Achievement Award
National Award Winner in the Category Transportation: Construction value less than $50 Million

SEAOI – Structural Engineers Association of Illinois
2019 Excellence in Structural Engineering
Best Bridge/Transportation Project

ASCE
2019 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award $10M to $35M

ENR 2019 Regional Best Project Awards Submittal
ENR Midwest
2019 Project of the Year & Best Project – Landscape/Urban Development

ENR 2019 National Best of the Best Project Award
2019 Project of the Year – Landscape/Urban Development

Global Future Design Award 2019 / Urban Design & Architecture Awards

NCSEA (National Council of Structural Engineers Association)
2019 Excellence in Structural Engineering Award
2019 Top Bridge Project
2019 Best Poster Graphics

Roads & Bridges
Named the #3 bridge project of 2019

ACEC
2020 Engineering Excellence Award – Honor Award

CISCO – Construction Industry Service Corporation
2019 Top Infrastructure Project Award

National Steel Bridge Alliance
2020 Prize Bridge Merit Award - special purpose category

Articles
ASHE Scanner Fall 2019 Edition (American Society of Highway Engineers)