Chicago Rail Viaduct Needs Repair

Occurred on July 17, 2018 / Chicago, Illinois, USA

Info from Licensor: "I was driving down 35th Street in Chicago, and as I passed through the railroad viaduct next to Guaranteed Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, I noticed that that iron pillars that hold up the structure were completely rusting out. The structural integrity of the metal pillars, girders, and struts were severely compromised. I pulled over and parked the car, and walked over to record my findings. It was worse than I thought. I could actually take pieces of the pillars apart with my fingers with no effort at all. This viaduct carries freight railroad cars and Metra commuter railroad trains overhead throughout the day, and thousands and thousands of vehicles and pedestrians pass underneath daily. Even more pedestrians pass through from the remote parking lots to attend Chicago White Sox games at Guaranteed Rate Field just a block away. This is an issue that was brought up by me and others at a viaduct on the same railway less than a mile north from here in Chinatown a few years ago. It took local news outlets to finally pressure the City of Chicago and the railroad company that owns the viaducts to act. But apparently, they only did cosmetic work, because the problem persists and is actually worse. I posted this video on Facebook and Twitter, and shared it with the local alderman, the City of Chicago, local community groups, the Chicago White Sox, and various media outlets in the hope that something would be done soon. I am not naive and I know that there are so many other infrastructure problems in the city, but I cannot see this and not say anything. The City of Chicago spends lots of money on beautifying main thoroughfares downtown, but thousands of bridges, viaducts, and overpasses are in severe condition. I hope that this video urges our politicians and the railroad company to preserve the infrastructure-- before an avoidable disaster occurs."