Calumet Skyway Bridge over Calumet River

The Calumet Skyway Bridge is part of the Calumet Skyway, a 7.8 mile roadway constructed in 1958 to link the Indiana Toll Road with Chicago. It is a fixed bridge and is the highest and longest in the city. The listed navigational vertical clearance for the bridge is 125 feet. The bridge’s 650 foot main span is flanked by 325 foot spans on each side. The bridge was originally built and owned by the City of Chicago. The bridge and the approaching roadway leading up to it were legally described as a bridge because the laws allowed the city to own toll bridges but not toll roads. It was later renamed the Chicago Skyway to avoid confusion with the Calumet Expressway, another Chicago area roadway. The Skyway was originally funded by municipal bonds and had financial problems for much of its life. The project was never as profitable as hoped and tolls were raised regularly to meet bond obligations. In 2006 the Skyway Concession Company took over operations of the Skyway under a 99 year lease. In February 2016 the Skyway was purchased by three Canadian pension funds. The original Skyway toll was $.25. Effective January 2021 the toll for 2 axle vehicles on the Skyway is $5.80. The skyway was initially controversial for bifurcating the East Side neighborhood.