4. STAKEHOLDERS
• City of Chicago
• FHWA
• IDOT
• USACE
• USCG
• IDNR/ICMP
• IEPA
• MWRDGC
• CTA
• USFWS
• Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
• Building Owners
• Commercial & Tour Boat Operators
• Recreational Users/Boaters
• Retailers/Business Owners
• Utility Companies
• Community Groups
• Chicago Park District
• Local Residents
• Alderman
5. PROJECT GOALS
Mission
Develop the underutilized Riverwalk as a premier public space and continuous system.
Project Themes
• Cultural
• Environmental
• Economic
• Recreational
6. CULTURAL OBJECTIVES
• Create diverse gathering spaces
• Celebrate the River’s uniqueness
• Embrace the site’s history
• Enhance community life
7. ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES
• Restore aquatic habitat
• Cultivate terrestrial habitat
• Improve the water quality
• Use sustainable building strategies
8. ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES
• Maximize leasable opportunities
• Activate the space along the River
• Improve the perception of safety
• Support commercial boating activity
9. RECREATIONAL OBJECTIVES
• Create a continuous public walkway
• Improve vertical circulation
• Increase recreational boating
• Provide more public river uses
11. PHASE 1
Michigan Ave. – State St.
2008 – 2009
Designers: RBA, Collins
Contractors: Walsh & Rausch
Const. Manager: Benesch
Cost: $19M
PHASE 2
State St. – LaSalle St.
2014 - 2015
Designers: Sasaki, RBA, Benesch
Contractor: Walsh
Const. Manager: Benesch
Cost: $43M
PHASE 3
LaSalle St. – Lake St.
2015 - 2016
Designers: Sasaki, RBA, Benesch
Contractor: Walsh
Const. Manager: Benesch
Cost: $53M
PROJECT PHASES
12. PROJECT FUNDING
Phase 1 – Michigan Avenue to State Street
• Central Loop tax-increment financing district (TIF)
Phases 2 & 3 – State Street to Lake Street
• Transportation Infrastructure Finance Innovation Act Program (TIFIA)
• Provides credit assistance for qualified infrastructure projects
• Intended only for projects of regional or national significance
• CDOT submitted letter of interest to the USDOT in 2012 for funding
• Loan maturity date is 2048
• Loan repayment methods:
• Rent / Leases
• Tour boats
• Private boats
• Charter boat docking
• Advertising
• Sponsorships
13. REGULATORY & PERMITTING
PROCESS
• The Chicago River is designated as “Waters
of the United States” and is protected by
federal law.
• The City was required to obtain permission
from Congress to construct the Riverwalk
into the river.
• On September 24, 2003, the U.S. House of Representatives
passed Water Resources Development Act H.R. 2557 allowing the
City to build:
20 feet into the river beneath each bascule bridge (six total).
25 feet between the bascule bridges.
50 feet between Franklin and Lake Streets where the river
widens at the confluence of the three branches of the
Chicago River.
14. PERMITTING
Federal
USACE
• Section 404 (Clean Water Act) – Individual Permit
USCG
• Underbridge and Overall Project Sign-Off
• Initial Risk Assessment for USACE Permit
• Bridge Permit Application
• Bridge Lighting Permit Application
• Navigation Lighting Review
USFWS
• Threatened and Endangered Species Sign-Off
FHWA
• Notification of Adverse Effect and Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)
• Final Plan Review Sign-Off
State
IEPA
• Section 401 (Clean Water Act) – Water Quality Certification with Anti-
Degradation Report
• Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP)
IDNR/ICMP
• ICMP Federal Consistency Determination & Certification + Part 3704
IDNR Permit
MWRDGC
• Hydraulic Analysis & Operations Report Sign-Off
• Sewer Permit for Sewer Connections/Structure Modifications
Illinois Historical Preservation Agency – State Historic Preservation Office
(SHPO)
• National Historic Preservation Act – Section 106 Sign-Off from
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
City of Chicago
CDOT
• City of Harbor Permit
• Irrigation & Landscaping
DWM
• Proposed Sewer Design Sign-Off
• Water Supply Design Sign-Off
OUC
• Structures/Deep Foundations/Sheet Piling (Depth > 12 feet) Sign-Off
• New Sewers or Drainage Structures (Depth > 12 feet) Sign-Off
DEO
• Electrical & Lighting – Internal DEO plan review and approval
MOPD
• Internal plan review and approval
HED
• Landmarks Commission – Internal plan review and approval
Other
Wacker Drive Building Owners/Managers
• Verification of existing pipes and coordination/approval of proposed
pipe extensions and related work
CTA
• Underbridge Structure over CTA Red Line Tunnel at State Street
• Underbridge Structure under Wells Street – Brown & Purple Line
Tracks
• Marine Structure near CTA Blue Line Tunnel at Lake Street
24. THE RIVERWALK PLAN – PHASES 2 &
3
• 6 distinct blocks (“rooms”)
• Length of each room is approximately 300 feet except far west room
• Length of far west room is approximately 600 feet
52. PRIMARY STRUCTURAL DESIGN
CHALLENGES
• Expand the Riverfront
• Incorporate the existing dock wall and provide redundancy
• Poor soil conditions
• Maintain constructability in submerged conditions
• Crossing Beneath the Bascule Bridges
• Coast Guard design criteria for vessel collision
• Avoid existing tunnels and submarine cables
• Maintain constructability beneath/adjacent to the bridges
53. Typical Room Design Challenges
Expand the Riverfront
• Various systems from floating docks to pile-supported piers were
considered
• Tieback system selected for cost and proven performance
• Reuse the existing dock wall to minimize cost and construction
impacts
• System must have redundancy in the event of an existing tie rod
failure
• Riverwalk platform designed as structural slab on grade to alleviate
settlement concerns
• Address utilities that must extend and pass through new dock wall
• Consider the constructability of various elements that will ultimately be
underwater
66. Jetty Design Challenges
Expand the Riverfront
• Pier layout limited the choice of structural system
• Needed to avoid the existing tunnels beneath the river
• Same vessel collision criteria as the underbridges
• Must retain existing fill if existing timber piles and sheeting fail
71. Vessel Collision
Crossing Beneath the Bascule Bridges
• 1,622 kip force parallel to channel
• 811 kip force perpendicular to channel
72. Vessel Collision
Crossing Beneath the Bascule Bridges
• Marine Angel – Largest
vessel to traverse both the
Mississippi and Chicago
Rivers
• 500 ft long and 70 ft wide
74. Vessel Collision
Crossing Beneath the Bascule Bridges
• Envelope behavior with two separate analyses
• LUSAS finite element software
• L-Pile for nonlinear soil structure interaction
• Deflection was not deemed to be a critical limit state
• Underbridges will create a substantial improvement to the protection
of the existing bridge houses in the event of an impact
78. Constructibility
Crossing Beneath the Bascule Bridges
• Drilled shafts had to be drilled adjacent to and beneath the bascule
bridges
• Constructing the interior shafts requires bridges to be open and
remain open for extended periods of time
• Underbridge drilled shaft cap is halfway underwater and must be
placed in the dry
82. Drilled Shaft Cap
Crossing Beneath the Bascule Bridges
“Bathtub” construction method chosen by Contractor
83. Drilled Shaft Cap
Crossing Beneath the Bascule Bridges
• Contractor proposed to
place the bottom and side
primary reinforcement
within the precast “bathtub”
• Need to achieve adequate
bond and horizontal shear
transfer to ensure section
behaves monolithically
rather than as two separate
members
• Bar splicers and grooves