South Side Skyway

Well the South Side of Chicago
Is the baddest part of town
--Jim Croce

When driving to Chicago, one of my favorite parts of the journey is the leg from Gary, Indiana to Chicago's South Side. Lots of old factory buildings including a panoramic view of the US Steel Gary Works. Periodic glimpses of Lake Michigan shoreline add to the treat.

The leg also features the Chicago Skyway, a toll road that includes a giant bridge spanning the Calumet River just over the Illinois state line. When the City of Chicago leased control of the Skyway in 2005, it marked the first privatization of an existing toll road in the US. In my travels, upkeep of the Skyway has been far superior under private ownership.

Above is a pre-Skyway pic of the Calumet Harbor taken in 1929. Today, the Skyway crosses the Calumet at the High Bridge after the river bends to the left. The commanding view afforded from the High Bridge suggest things have changed little in nearly eighty years. Perhaps a few less smoke stacks, but still lots of old steel-laden infrastructure from a golden age of production.

Insight into yesterday worth today's toll bridge price.