Category Archives: Chicago traffic
Naked Bike Riders Hit Chicago Streets Saturday Night
No.
They’re not shooting a bike themed soft core porno movie here in Chicago.
The World Naked Bike Ride Chicago is a real event.
In fact, this Saturday evening’s ride is the 9th year it’s been held in Chicago.
Hospital Patient Move Means Traffic, Parking Impact In Lincoln Park Saturday
The children are moving Saturday.
The brand new Lurie Children’s Hospital in Streeterville is finally ready.
Walls are painted, lifesaving medical equipment has been installed, beds are ready, doctors and nurses are waiting.
Now it’s the children’s turn to move.
All day Saturday, Fullerton Ave. will be closed from Lincoln Ave. to Lake Shore Drive to allow ambulances to transport about 200 very ill young patients from old hospital to new.
The move will begin about 6 AM from Children’s Memorial Hospital in Lincoln Park and is expected to take between 10 and 18 hours to complete according to the Chicago Department of Transportation.
Traffic Expert: Holiday Traffic Easier, Lighter This Year
But Traffic Enforcement Up
Good news drivers.
One local traffic expert believes Memorial Day Holiday traffic will be a bit easier than in recent years due to reduced construction projects.
Because there’s less road local road construction than in previous years, News Radio 780 Traffic Reporter Steven Hass believes traffic for this holiday weekend should be running smoother and faster than last year.
“The on-going construction list is much shorter this year than last, but there are still a couple of projects,” said Haas rattling off a list of construction and repaving projects around the area. “Of course, there are numerous suburban projects, but all in all, it is a lighter year in the construction department.”
NATO Summit Will Make Monday’s Commute A Challenge
Prepare for the worst, hope for the best is what they say.
While the City of Chicago has done a respectable job of handling the challenge of the NATO Summit over the past few days, the major road closures which will still be in effect through 6 PM Monday will have an impact on both morning and evening commutes.
With Lake Shore Drive closed from 39th St. all the way to Balbo, I-55 closed from LSD to I-90/94, and many major streets east of Michigan Ave. shut down as well, the morning commute for drivers who normally use these thoroughfares is going to be a challenge.
Even though some downtown employers have told many of their employees to stay home Monday, this decrease in bodies won’t completely offset the increased vehicle volume from those commuting by car displaced by the LSD closures.
City Announces More Road Closures, Other NATO Traffic Updates
The footprint of road closures related to the NATO Summit continues to grow.
Saturday afternoon, Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management & Communication (OEMC) announced Columbus Drive would be closed from the Chicago River at Wacker Drive to Illinois Street “until further notice.”
The two block stretch is about a block east of Michigan Ave. and two blocks west of Lake Shore Drive.
A few hours later, OEMC announced temporary extension of the closure on Lake Shore Drive on Sunday.
The Driver’s Guide To Surving NATO
Map of NATO Summit roadway closures
Stay away.
Stay far, far away.
That’s The Expired Meter’s best advice for driving during the duration of the NATO Summit occurring over the next few days here in Chicago–just stay the hell away from the vicinity of McCormick Place Friday night through Monday afternoon.
While streets directly adjacent to McCormick Place have been closed since this past Sunday, the scope of road closures and parking restrictions will begin at midnight Friday night/Saturday morning and continue through Monday afternoon.
If you park on a street that’s slated to be closed for this event, expect that your car will be towed starting at midnight Friday.
Here’s the full list of road closures associated with the NATO Summit.
The Secret Service and Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications believe all affected streets roadways will be open for Monday evening’s rush hour.
Major Roadways Closed
Chicago’s Spring Bridge Lift Begins Wednesday
Spring Bridge Lift Delayed Due To Lock Repairs
Chicago’s spring bridge lift season begins this Wednesday, May 2nd at 9:30 AM, approximately two weeks later than normal.
During a typical Chicago spring, local sailboat owners begin bringing their high masted sea vessels from storage, and down the Chicago River back to Lake Michigan in mid-April.
But this year, sailboat captains have been delayed due to ongoing repairs of the Chicago Lock by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.
“Generally, we’d have probably had a couple (bridge lifts) already,” said Chicago Department of Transportation spokesperson Peter Scales explaining about the lock repairs. “It just pushed it back a week or so.”
Wacker Reconstruction Begins Next Stage Monday
Two Year Project To Be Completed By End Of 2012
The City of Chicago’s “Revive Wacker Drive” plan to reconstruct both levels of Wacker Drive officially enters the second of its two years as it begins work on the two level street at Monroe and Adams starting Monday, January 9th.
This means come Monday, both Monroe and Adams will be closed to thru traffic (from Canal to Franklin) until sometime this summer, while Madison Street will finally be open to all traffic–vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian.
The Madison Street/Wacker Drive intersection stage of the project was just completed after being closed since July 4th to traffic.
The next phase begins Monday, January 9th where the project moves southward once again when work will be started on both levels of Wacker Drive at the Monroe and Adams Street intersections.
“Our crews continue to work efficiently to meet the demands of a very aggressive construction schedule,” said Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Gabe Klein regarding the continued on-time and on-budget construction project. “We will maintain that same level of efficiency in 2012 so that motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists can again have full access to this vital roadway and the businesses that surround it.”
Chicago Protesters Take To Downtown Streets, Cause Traffic Chaos
Chicago drivers are well aware that many things can cause traffic backups.
Congestion, accidents, construction just to name a few.
But Monday night, it was hundreds of protesters flooding onto Michigan Avenue in front of the Art Institute which snarled rush hour downtown traffic according to the Associated Press.
Whether you support the protesters or not, blocking traffic is not only an ineffective way of getting a point across (unless the goal is to anger drivers) but it is also dangerous for people to walk in front of moving vehicles as it could lead to hospitalization or even premature death.
Report: Chicago Traffic Congestion Improves…Barely
Good news drivers–Chicago’s traffic congestion is actually improving.
According to the Texas Transportation Institute’s annual Urban Mobility Report, Chicago has been replaced at number one by Washington DC dropping into the second spot in the for the nation’s worst traffic congestion.
This is due to mild improvements in several areas. But you might not feel the improvements, at least according to a researcher from Texas A&M University.
“Realistically, as drivers will tell you, you can’t really feel it,” says Texas Transportation Institute Research Engineer and co-author of the 2010 study Bill Eisele. “But Chicago’s ranking has gone down from first.”
