Whats On the Sarge's Mind

Relief ahead for drivers on Congress Parkway

Jon Hilkevitch: Getting Around

7:01 a.m. CDT, April 16, 2012

One leg of what many drivers criticize as a completely unnecessary traffic congestion trifecta in Chicago's West Loop is finally about to ease up.

For more than two years now, there has been one particular inquiry that your Getting Around reporter receives from drivers that typically ends with multiple question marks, virtually screaming with frustration.

It goes like this: "When will the rehab of the Congress Parkway bridges finally end????"

Since 2010, only one of the two Congress spans over the Chicago River connecting the downtown to the Eisenhower, Kennedy and Dan Ryan expressways has been open. Inbound and outbound traffic have been squeezed onto one bridge, causing traffic to back up in both directions.

"The traffic is down to one lane on the east side of the bridge, which has made commuting a nightmare all over again," Rani Morrison, who drives from Oak Park to Northwestern University's Streeterville campus downtown, complained to Getting Around last week. "What on earth is the latest on the Congress improvements????''

The bridge work — plagued by unexpected problems, a construction workers strike and other delays — is scheduled to wrap up by the end of May, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation, which is managing the $33 million contract. The bridge project started in April 2010 and was originally scheduled for completion last October, IDOT said.

Drivers should start seeing improvements during the latter part of next week, when outbound traffic will be routed from the south bridge that it currently shares with inbound traffic, to the north bridge, which will once again handle outbound traffic only.
"While both bridges will be open, some lane closures and periodic lane shifting will be in place until the end of May to allow for work on the median, final striping and other miscellaneous items," IDOT spokesman Guy Tridgell said.
"It is still an active construction zone until the end of May. Some delays should still be anticipated," he said.
In addition, the ramps from the inbound Kennedy and Ryan to Congress will remain closed until the entire project is completed, Tridgell said.
In addition to the Congress bridge project, the two other elements of the downtown traffic tie-up trifecta, brought to you simultaneously and unapologetically by IDOT and the Chicago Department of Transportation, are also grinding closer to completion.

The Congress Parkway streetscape project, between Wells Street and Michigan Avenue, is slated for completion this summer, according to CDOT officials. The goals of the approximately $18 million construction contract include improving traffic flow for the 63,000 drivers who travel the corridor each weekday and enhancing pedestrian and bicyclist safety by building wider sidewalks and better bike lanes and bike parking, CDOT spokesman Pete Scales said.

Construction began in October 2010 and is expected to conclude by June 30, or about a month later than the original schedule, Scales said.
And third, the state-funded $300 million reconstruction of the north-south section of Upper and Lower Wacker Drive, from Randolph Street to Congress Parkway, is targeted for completion by the end of the year, under CDOT's plans. Highlights of the project include replacing the deteriorated viaduct structure built in the 1950s and eliminating ramps to Lower Wacker at Jackson, Adams and Washington, while converting the Monroe ramp to one-way to Lower Wacker.
Crews are working on the Monroe Street and Adams Street intersections, after having completed the Madison Street intersection this year. The Jackson Boulevard and Van Buren Street intersections will be rebuilt during the second half of 2012, CDOT officials said.
Work also continues to reconfigure the Wacker/Congress Parkway interchange, which will open at the end of the year, officials said. The eastbound Congress exit ramp at Franklin Street will be below ground. The Lower Wacker Drive entrance ramp onto westbound Congress will also be underground, officials said.
Officials at both the state and city transportation departments stand by their decisions to conduct the three complicated projects — plus the Eisenhower resurfacing in 2010 — all at once, saying the gains outweighed the pains to motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.
"This was scheduled to condense the pain rather than prolong it for years,'' Tridgell said.
Scales said CDOT has monitored traffic flow, and the department is happy with the travel-time improvements made since the Congress bridge project started and delays were running up to a half-hour on Congress Parkway between Columbus Drive and Wells Street.
"CDOT does appreciate the fact Chicagoans have dealt with continuous construction on Congress for more than two years,'' Scales said. "But if the projects were staggered, traffic lanes on Congress would need to be reduced for two or three additional years — something drivers couldn't disagree with more.''
Getting Around's hunch is that IDOT and CDOT officials are still seriously underestimating the anger among hordes of drivers who accurately predicted the mess that would result from conducting three major road projects simultaneously in such a concentrated and congested area of the downtown.
If these sage transportation officials continue to doubt public opinion, one humble suggestion is that they check the comments section accompanying the online version of this column. The responses will likely melt their pocket protectors.

Contact Getting Around at jhilkevitch@tribune.com or c/o the Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611; on Twitter @jhilkevitch; and on Facebook, facebook.com/jhilkevitch. Read recent columns at http://www.chicagotribune.com/gettingaround.