Photo by Tudor Van Hampton

The U.S. Coast Guard gave Illinois Constructors Corp. just five days to make critical repairs to a 1912-era railroad bridge on Chicago's South Side, but the $1-million job took seven.

The U.S. Coast Guard gave Illinois Constructors Corp. just five days to make critical repairs to a 1912-era railroad bridge on Chicago's South Side, but the $1-million job took seven. "The unknown is the biggest challenge," says Rusy Micheff, ICC's operations manager. Keeping the bridge open to rail traffic, workers replaced a fatigued shaft that rotates a 60,000-lb cable drum atop the 220-ft-tall movable bridge. The drum had to be bored out to accept a new shaft, causing delays.