Chicago city officials celebrated the 90th birthday of the Michigan Avenue Bridge by recalling its engineering marvel as well as its key link to development both north and south of the Chicago River.
As the world�s first double-leaf, double-deck bascule trunnion bridge ever built, �it�s one of the most recognized bridges in the world,� says Thomas Powers, acting commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation. The May 14 celebration also marked the opening of the fifth season of the Friends of the Chicago River�s McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum, located along the new Chicago Riverwalk at the southwest end of the bridge.