Category Archives: Chicago traffic
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.”
Report: Circle Interchange Ranked Worst In Nation
Chicago's Circle Interchange ranks worst in nation according to study
Chicago is number one again.
But instead of being home to a championship sports team, the Windy City gets to brag that the infamous Circle Interchange ranks #1 for being the most congested highway interchange in the entire U.S for truckers.
Of course, if the trucks are moving slow in traffic, so are Chicago drivers stuck in the same congestion.
According to a newly released report from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Circle Interchange where the Kennedy, Dan Ryan (I-90/I-94) and Eisenhower (I-290) expressways intersect, is the slowest, most congested highway bottleneck in the nation.
The ATRI study claims the average speed for semi trucks coming into the Circle Interchange during peak congestion is 22.34 MPH, 31.89 MPH during non-peak periods, and averages a speed of 29.41 MPH.
Blame It On Biden
Police units block the Addison St. entrance ramp to the Kennedy Expressway Tuesday evening as the Vice President's motorcade head to O'Hare
Wondering why you had to sit in horrible traffic this afternoon and evening?
Questioning why Chicago Police and Traffic Management units were blocking entrance ramps to the Kennedy Expressway both this afternoon and evening?
Fall Bridge Lift Season Begins Saturday Morning
As the last vestiges of summer evaporate into the cool of fall, the city’s annual migration of sail boats and subsequent bridge lifts kicks off this Saturday.
Starting at Lake Shore Drive, bridges along the Chicago River will be raised every Saturday morning starting at 9 and Wednesday mornings at 9:30, to allow these high masted vessels to travel from Lake Michigan down the main and south branches of the Chicago River to their winter dry docks.
Drivers trying to cross any of these city bridges on Saturday and Wednesday mornings face being delayed from reaching their destination for several minutes if they get caught by the bridge lift.
Chicago Department of Transportation spokesperson Brian Steele says the city tries to minimize the delays experienced by motorists during bridge lifts.
Bike Riders May Fall Under Cell Phone Ban
Put down those cell phones bike riders!
If Alderman Margret Laurino (39) gets her way, Chicago bicyclists may fall under the same restrictions car drivers face when using a cell phone–use a hands free device and no texting while driving, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Laurino, chairman of the Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety in the city council, says the fine for violating the ban would be $50, half the $100 fine a motorist would face for the same offense. However, if a the bike rider was involved in a traffic accident while violating the law, the fine could rise to $500.
Study: Chicago Drivers Don’t Have It So Bad
Quit whining Chicago drivers.
Just because you’re stuck in terrible traffic every day on the way to work, a new study conducted by IBM says you don’t have it so bad–at least compared to drivers who live in other cities around the world.
IBM has just released their annual Commuter Pain Survey and according to the over 400 local drivers surveyed, things are really not that bad.
When you compare the experiences of over 8000 drivers surveyed in 20 cities globally, Chicago is relatively pain free, ranking as the 3rd most pain free driving city in the world overall with a Pain Index of 25. This puts the Windy City just two points higher than second place London (23) and least painful city, Montreal (21).
Traffic Samaritan Ticketed For Helping Direct Traffic
No good deed goes unpunished.
On Thursday, a traffic light at a major intersection in South Pasadena, California went out.
Traffic starting backing up in both directions taking drivers 30 minutes to get through the light.
For whatever reason, no local cops showed up to help direct traffic.
That’s when local resident Alan Ehlrich became a good traffic Samaritan and stepped into the intersection to help out according to CBS Los Angeles.
