From the morning commute...

Of all the commuting alternatives at my disposal, this week I have one fewer because of the reconstruction of the Wells Street Bridge over the Chicago River. As you can see in the photograph made yesterday, it's a double level bascule bridge with a roadway at the lower level and elevated tracks above. I didn't know what to expect when I came upon the scene after taking a detour on my way to work from the train station, but I certainly did not expect to see the new (north) section of the bridge, visible at the right, already in place. The rust colored bridge section sitting on the barge at the left, is what remains of the original 91 year old bridge. The raised section in the background was installed a couple of months ago.

Remarkably, the process of removing the old section and replacing the new one takes just over one week, from the end of Friday rush hour to the beginning of Monday rush hour the following week.

There has been some moaning and griping by commuters but when you consider the enormity of the task, those complaints are unfounded.

Glad to see that Chicago is still "the city that works"...at least in this case.