The Nichols Bridgeway is a pedestrian bridge located in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. The bridge begins at the Great Lawn of

Millennium Park Millennium Park is a public park located in the Chicago Loop, Loop Community areas of Chicago, community area of Chicago, operated by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. The park, opened in July 2004, is a prominent civic center near t ...

, crosses over Monroe Street and connects to the third floor of the West Pavilion of the Modern Wing, the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

's newest wing. The bridge opened May 16, 2009. Designed by

Renzo Piano Renzo Piano (; born 14 September 1937) is an Italian architect. His notable works include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (with Richard Rogers, 1977), The Shard in London (2012), Kansai International Airport in Osaka (1994), the Whitney ...

, the architect of the Modern Wing, the bridge is approximately long and wide. The bottom of the Bridgeway is made of white, painted structural

steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

, the floor is made of

aluminum Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

planking and the 42" tall railings are steel set atop

stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...

mesh. The Bridgeway features anti-slip walkways and heating elements to prevent the formation of ice and meets

ADA Ada may refer to: Arts and entertainment * '' Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle'', a novel by Vladimir Nabokov Film and television * Ada, a character in 1991 movie '' Armour of God II: Operation Condor'' * '' Ada... A Way of Life'', a 2008 Bollywo ...

standards for universal accessibility. The bridge is named after museum donors Alexandra and John Nichols. The bridge design was inspired by the

hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

of a boat.

Construction

The Nichols Bridgeway was added to the master plan of the Modern Wing of the

in 2005. Construction on the bridge began on September 20, 2007. Construction was completed on April 8, 2009. The bridge officially opened, along with the Modern Wing on May 16, 2009. On June 11, 2009, the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois (SEAOI) named the winners of its 2009 excellence in engineering awards. Arup and Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., received an Award of Merit for their design work for the Nichols Bridgeway.

Pop culture

In the 2012

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

, '' The Vow'', the characters run from the

across the Bridgeway to

, where they kiss under ''

Cloud Gate ''Cloud Gate'' is a public art, public sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor, that is the centerpiece of Grainger Plaza at Millennium Park in the Chicago Loop, Loop community area of Chicago. Constructed between 2004 and 2006, t ...

''.

References

External links

City of Chicago Millennium ParkMillennium Park mapCity of Chicago Loop Community Map
{{Millennium Park Bridges in Chicago Millennium Park Pedestrian bridges in Illinois Renzo Piano buildings Steel bridges in the United States 2009 establishments in Illinois Bridges completed in 2009