Howard, Needles, Tammen & Bergendoff
Published: 1958
Total Pages: 24
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Presented herewith is our report on Preliminary Investigations and Plans for the proposed Fourteenth Street Viaduct over Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad and Chicago, Great Western Railroad in the vicinity of Pine Street. Extending from Washington Street, west of the tracks, to Kerper Boulevard in the Industrial Area east of the tracks, the total length of the project is 3,640 lineal feet. The viaduct structure, a salient part of the project, is 719 lineal feet long between abutments. According to surveys made by the City in 1950, the total cross-track traffic on Thirteenth Street to Seventeenth Street, inclusive, was 3,501 vehicles per day. As determined by recent counts, the present total cross-track traffic on the same streets amounts to 9,682 vehicles per day, indicating a most extraordinary increase in traffic in the past eight years. The volume of cross-track traffic clearly requires a four-lane facility. The four-lane facility will have spare capacity for anticipated increases in traffic by virtue of the growth of present plants and expected development of new industries in the area east of the tracks. Accordingly, it is proposed that the viaduct structure, its approaches, and the entire facility shall have two-lane roadways, for traffic in each direction, separated by a raised median. The viaduct is to be of steel and concrete construction - to be supported on foundation piles. West of Sycamore Street the pavement is to be of Portland cement concrete - matching the deck slab of the viaduct. East of Sycamore Street the pavement is to be of asphaltic concrete. Two alternate plans have been considered for the approaches to the viaduct: (1) Retaining walls and (2) Embankments. While additional right of way is required for embankment approaches, the reduction in construction cost more than offsets the costs of right of way - resulting in a net saving estimated to be $48,600. Utilizing embankment approaches for the viaduct, the total cost of the project, including acquisition of right of way, engineering and all other related expenses, is estimated to be $1,190,300. The corresponding total cost of the project, using retaining walls for the viaduct approaches, is estimated to be $1,238,900. An investigation was made of possible advantages in the use of a depressed facility under the railroad tracks. Because of the high ground water level and attendant costly control of this condition during construction and thereafter, it was concluded that the site does not lend itself to such an arrangement. In the light of the relatively heavy motor vehicle cross-traffic and the frequency of train movements, there is a clear and obvious need of a grade separation at Fourteenth Street. The overpass will remove the inherent safety hazards and will greatly facilitate movement of automobiles and trucks to and from this important Industrial Area of the city.
