The Big Rock Bridge is a regional trail bridge that spans the Big Rock
Creek just west of Chicago, Illinois. The bridge is located in Big
Rock Creek Forest Preserve about 3 miles south west of the Aurora
Municipal Airport. The park is a former rock quarry that was abandoned
and later filled with water following a local flood. It has since been
stocked with fish and is a popular fishing hole. Big Rock Creek is
one of the highest quality streams in the northeast section of Illinois,
but development is putting pressure on the watershed area. As a result,
preserving some green space along the stream is critical for the future
health of Big Rock Creek.
The bridge was built in the mid-2000s by Sahale, LLC, based out of
Seattle, Washington. Sahale specializes in cable bridges, including
cable stay structures. The project was developed and designed by
Teng, an engineering and architecture firm from Chicago. These photos
were provided by John Ritchie, the structural engineer for the project.