IN CHICAGO, THERE ARE TWO SEASONS - Winter, and . . . ROAD CONSTRUCTION!
WORK ON EDENS EXPRESSWAY, TRI-STATE TOLLWAY TO CREATE SUMMERTIME HEADACHES TO NORTHSIDERS, NORTH SUBURBAN RESIDENTS THIS SUMMER!
That old season about there being only TWO seasons in Chicago - that is, indeed, old - my father said it to me when I was a kid, and I'd bet you his father said it to him!
But . . . here we go again!
For the last couple of years, it was mainly Chicago South Side Residents impacted my massive reconstruction on the Dan Ryan Expressway, heading south out of the Chicago Loop.. This year, those to the north are most heavily affected, as reconstruction continues on the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) - the toll road encircling Chicago, and by-passing the city, from Northwest Indiana to Southern Wisconsin.
Also, the Edens Expressway (I-94), running from Montrose Avenue on the Chicago's north side, to Lake-Cook Road at the Cook County Line, will be re-paved. Work began here this past week, and will be completed by October.
The Illinois Tollway Authority is re-building and widening the central branch of the Tri-State. Several key bridge overpasses are also being re-constructed, including those at Oakton Street in Suburban Des Plaines, and Town Line Road (Route 60) in Suburban Vernon Hills.. Lane closures will be avoided, but diverted patterns for traffic flow, as the main road is re-constructed and traffic diverted to the shoulders, will cause slowdowns.
Smaller, but often equally as annoying, construction projects are still in place this year on the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88, west out of Chicago), and the Veteran's Memorial Tollway (I-355, southwest of Chicago).
The Edens project involves mainly pavement repair, but one of the expressway's three lanes in each direction will be closed for the duration of the repair - effectively reducing available traffic lanes by one-third. Traffic diversion patterns will occur every few weeks, including shoulder driving and counterflow, where northbound riders are diverted to southbound lanes, and vice versa, when certain sections of the roadway are being worked on.
IDOT, the Illinois Department of Transportation, offers no official alternate routes - but we find Northbound Milwaukee Avenue, Cicero Avenue/Skokie Boulevard, and Waukegan Road may be time savers for many drivers. METRA Commuter Trains are always an option for those traveling to Downtown Chicago and The Loop.
Depending on the time of day, and distance traveled, construction projects this summer could add anywhere between 20 minutes to an hour or more to your commute.
And, by the way, construction zone speed limits are often in place round-the-clock, regardless of whether work is being done during a specific trip. Fines start at $375, and increase to $1,000 for second offenses.
Be warned!
Read the March 10th Edition of The Chicago Sun-Times for more info.
DEAN MOSS & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
