A lattice of colorful steel pieces flies over one of the industrial centers of the United States.

Before flowing into Lake Michigan, the Calumet River’s rivulets that spread south of Chicago intersect with one of the city’s iconic pieces of infrastructure: the High Bridge. This bridge rises 38 meters above the waterway. It is the centerpiece of a highway that sees more than 50,000 trips every day: the Chicago Skyway.

The Chicago Skyway was originally built in 1958 and is now part of Interstate 90. It is an elevated highway that runs through the most populous city in Illinois. It was designed as a modern piece of architecture more than 60 years ago. In fact, the thin pillars supporting the High Bridge and the unique steel framework over it were more than a decade ahead of their time.

The bridge over the Calumet River and the port of the same name span just over 800 meters. At its highest, it stands at 38 meters, and the large central section spans almost 200 meters to allow river traffic to pass.

Even with 21st-century renovations, the High Bridge and the Chicago Skyway still capture the essence of their original design. In fact, even the toll booth area still looks to be from a different time.

Since it was built in 1958 to as recently as 2005, the Chicago Skyway was operated and maintained by the City of Chicago. That year, the structure’s management was handed over to the Skyway Concession Company, LLC, a consortium led by Ferrovial subsidiary Cintra, which finally sold its stake 10 years later.