Revive Wacker Drive

JACKSON/WACKER INTERSECTION TO REOPEN THURSDAY AFTERNOON

Revive Wacker Drive — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 22:22:00 +0000

The new intersection of Jackson Boulevard and Wacker Drive will reopen on Thursday afternoon, as the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) works to complete the Wacker Drive reconstruction project by the end of the month.

“The reopening of the Jackson intersection is an important milestone in this final stage of the project,” said CDOT Commissioner Gabe Klein. “We expect to complete construction soon and open a modern, more efficient and safer Upper and Lower Wacker Drive.”

At 2 p.m. on Thursday, November 15th, the newly reconstructed intersection of Jackson at Wacker will reopen for the first time since closing earlier this year for construction.

Also on Thursday, CDOT will restore the southbound “contra-flow” lane for Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) buses on the west side of Canal Street in front of Union Station.

On Monday, November 19th, the CTA will return the #1 Indiana/Hyde Park, #X28 Stony Island Express and #151 Sheridan to their original routes, which serve Union Station in the restored contra-flow lane. With the Jackson opening, a total of 11 CTA routes will be partially or fully restored to their original routing. For more CTA service information, please visit: www.transitchicago.com/wacker.

On Friday, November 30th, the Van Buren Street intersection, the Congress Parkway interchange, and the entire length of Upper and Lower Wacker Drive will open, as the massive reconstruction project concludes.

In the first week of December, Franklin Street will be converted back to a northbound one-way street from Van Buren to Lake Street.

Eisenhower/Franklin Exit Ramp and Adams Intersection to Reopen as Wacker/Van Buren Intersection Closes For Reconstruction

Revive Wacker Drive — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:59:16 +0000

Both the Eisenhower Expressway exit ramp at Franklin Street and the new intersection of Adams Street and Wacker Drive will reopen early next week, as the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) gets closer to completion of the $300 million Wacker Drive reconstruction project.

“The reopening of the Eisenhower exit ramp at Franklin is an important milestone in this final stage of the project,” said CDOT Commissioner Gabe Klein. “We expect to complete construction at the end of the year and introduce everyone to a modern, more efficient and safer Wacker Drive.”

In the evening of Friday, July 13, the newly reconstructed intersection of Adams at Wacker will reopen to two lanes for the first time since closing earlier this year. On Monday, July 16, the Van Buren intersection at Wacker will close for demolition and reconstruction.

Van Buren from Franklin to Wells Street has been converted to a two-way street in order to provide a route to the expressway for vehicles headed northbound on Franklin. Those vehicles will now turn east on Van Buren to Wells, then turn south to access I-290. In the previous configuration, there were two I-290 access ramps from Lower Wacker and Franklin that created a dangerous double-merge condition. The new layout will eliminate the Franklin entrance ramp to improve safety for motorists.

On Monday, Franklin will be converted to a northbound one-way street from Harrison to Van Buren. Monday night, the Eisenhower Expressway exit ramp to northbound Franklin will reopen.

Also on Monday, Van Buren will be temporarily converted to a two-way street West of the Chicago River to Canal Street. From Canal to Clinton Street, Van Buren’s two-way configuration will be restored. Canal will also be temporarily converted to a two-way street from Van Buren to Harrison Street.

Jackson access restricted this weekend

Revive Wacker Drive — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 18:32:00 +0000

The remaining demolition around 250 S. Wacker will restrict access across Jackson from Friday night until Monday morning.

Work will begin Friday at 7:30 p.m., with access to Jackson being restored via a temporary sidewalk Monday at 6 a.m. The Wacker crossing at Jackson will be accessible from Adams throughout the weekend.

Additional updates include:

Pedestrian restrictions Saturday from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Jackson between Canal and the river due to a helicopter lift taking place nearby

Pedestrian crossing at Adams will be restored Monday morning

Franklin between Wacker and Lake has been restored to one-way north traffic; southbound turns from Wacker will no longer be permitted

Pedestrian crossings at Lake and Wacker are now open

Please continue checking www.wackerdrive.org for the latest construction updates.

Adams sidewalk closed until July 2

Revive Wacker Drive — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 19:03:02 +0000

The temporary sidewalk at Adams and Wacker will close until July 2. Pedestrians should use Monroe and Jackson as detours.

Wacker Drive Reconstruction Project Enters Final Phase

Revive Wacker Drive — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 18:51:33 +0000

The Jackson Boulevard intersection at Wacker Drive will close on Monday, June 18th as the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) opens the new Monroe Street intersection and begins the final phase of the $300 million Wacker reconstruction project.

Revive Wacker Drive, Part 2, which will completely rebuild and modernize the 60-year-old roadway, remains on schedule to be completed by the end of 2012. The project is modernizing the upper and lower levels of Wacker Drive by creating safer, more efficient roadways for motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists.

As Jackson closes from Canal Street to Franklin Street, Monroe Street will reopen to all traffic since closing for reconstruction earlier this year. The Adams Street intersection will remain closed into July, and the subsequent closure and reconstruction of the Van Buren Street intersection will begin later this summer.

“Our crews are making significant progress as we continue to meet the ambitious goals of this project,” said CDOT Commissioner Gabe Klein. “We look forward to completing construction at the end of the year and introducing Chicagoans and our visitors to a modern, more efficient and safer Wacker Drive.”

On Friday, June 22nd, Van Buren between Wells Street and Franklin will become a two-way street for that block to allow for access to westbound I-290 for vehicles headed north on Franklin, which had previously merged with the southbound Wacker Drive ramps.

Later this summer, when Franklin is reopened to traffic from Harrison Street to Van Buren, northbound vehicles will turn east on Van Buren to Wells, then turn south to access I-290. In the previous configuration, there were two I-290 access ramps from Lower Wacker and Franklin that created a dangerous double-merge condition. The new layout will eliminate the Franklin ramp to improve safety for motorists.

Vehicle & Bicycle Impacts
East-West
Adams and Jackson will be closed to all traffic. Monroe will reopen to eastbound traffic. Van Buren will remain open to westbound traffic.

North-South
Franklin will remain open to two-way traffic to accommodate vehicles detoured from north-south Wacker. Northbound traffic will continue to use Canal for an alternate route. Lower Wacker Drive will remain open for local access only.

Pedestrian Impacts
East-West
Jackson, Van Buren, Adams and Monroe will all open to pedestrian traffic, with Jackson and Adams utilizing temporary sidewalks to traverse Wacker.

North-South
Pedestrians will continue to use Canal and Franklin for north-south travel.

All buildings and businesses near the construction zone will remain open and accessible throughout the project. Please visit Traffic Impacts to view the pedestrian and building access map for complete details.

Public Transit
CDOT is partnering with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) to ensure both public transportation and traffic flow as smoothly as possible. Bus re-routes will be available on the CTA’s website, www.transitchicago.com/wacker.

Metra will be making announcements on its trains and will have pedestrian detour information at its transportation centers.

For the latest construction updates and project news, please check back with www.wackerdrive.org.