City of Lockport

8th Street Pedestrian Bridge

A Small, but Mighty Project

In the world of transportation and civil engineering, sometimes it is the small but mighty projects that inspire our imagination and directly enhance our lives. The 8th Street Pedestrian Bridge project for the City of Lockport is one such inspirational project. Civiltech provided Phase III Construction Engineering on this meaningful project.

Connecting Residents to a Historic Downtown

The project replaces an existing pedestrian bridge over the I&M Canal, and with the new bridge, provides a pedestrian connection between residential areas and downtown Lockport including Lincoln Landing, the Historic Gaylord Building, Illinois and Michigan (I&M) Canal Trail, and the Lockport Historic District. The Lincoln Landing is an open-air park and museum that celebrates the original Illinois and Michigan Canal lines and is immediately adjacent to the bridge
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Incorporating Existing Structure

The project embraced the site’s history by incorporating the existing abutments, preserving the stonework of the eastern side and honoring its timeless aesthetic, while a new structural wall was constructed around the western abutment and clad in stone so that old and new meet seamlessly, echoing the craftsmanship of generations past. The centerpiece of the project was to preserve the existing historic abutments and their stone features while placing the new bridge structure. The east side of the bridge had a stone abutment that was partially exposed. The west side abutment had not previously been exposed and was made of concrete.

Matching Historic Aesthetics

New foundation walls were built in front of the abutments to support the new bridge. On the west side, the concrete abutment and new structural walls were wrapped in stone to match the historic aesthetics of the existing east side abutment. Also, on the east side of the canal was a stone that was used by the original family as part of the historic abutments.

Meticulous Craftsmanship

The Construction Engineering team had to ensure that the contractor worked meticulously in the Lincoln Landing area as the site includes historic markers built from large slabs of stones that explain the area and history. Many of these markers needed to be removed prior to dismantling the existing bridge. This work was done by hand. Stones were carefully removed, cataloged, preserved, and reinstalled. Also, brick pavers were dismantled by hand and reinstalled in their original pattern.

Pedestrian Safety

The existing bridge was a heavily used pedestrian connection between residential areas and a large park to downtown Lockport. Therefore, the Construction Engineering team provided extensive and highly visible construction barricading and signage to ensure pedestrian safety. The safety program also included a well-marked bike and pedestrian detour. Signage posted at the construction site, along the I&M Canal, and throughout the residential neighborhood to the west of the canal directed pedestrians and bikes to the 9th Street Bridge south of the site.

Protecting the Canal

The Construction Engineering team worked with the contractors to protect the canal waters. The contractors had an in-stream work plan which required approvals by various agencies. The work plan was utilized to keep the water clear of construction debris and contaminants. A variety of techniques were used including perimeter controls, erosion control blankets, cofferdam, and fencing.