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South Lake Shore Drive Reconstruction
Project
of the Year: Transportation
South Lake Shore Drive in Chicago was in dire need of reconstruction.
Some sections dated to the early 1900s, and the famed thoroughfare
carries more than 100,000 vehicles each day.
The project involved the reconstruction of 6.4 mi. of the
thoroughfare from 67th to 23rd streets.
The project was multifaceted: reconstruction of the roadway,
replacement of the storm sever system and roadway lighting,
addition of five new pedestrian underpasses, reconstruction
of two bridges and a pedestrian underpass and extensive median,
gateway and pedestrian plaza landscaping.
Project History
For 30 years, South Lake Shore Drive received only spot improvements
in part due to opposition from activists. But community resentment
grew in the late 1990s when the drive was reconstructed and
aesthetically enhanced along the north lakefront.
Programming began, and objectives included the following:
Improve Lake Michigan water quality with a new storm
sewer system that reduces the amount of pollution from roadway
runoff
Improve pedestrian and cyclist access to the lake with
underpasses to Jackson Park
Repair deteriorated parts of the lakefront bicycle
and pedestrian path and construct new segments
Reclaim more than 14 acres of green space by removing
unnecessary pavement
Construct a safe and aesthetically pleasing center
median
Improve traffic efficiency
Mitigating Impact
The project impact attempted to mitigate the impact on
the physical environment.
Barriers and inspection of the lake outfalls were used to
protect the Lake Michigan water quality.
Originally, most outfalls went directly to the lake, but
the construction rerouted the most polluted runoff to the
city sewer system. Backflow preventers were installed at
outfalls to prevent cross contamination.
A continuous silt and chain link fence prevented construction
from impinging on the park more than necessary, and litter
was properly disposed.
Cut trees were replaced, and mature trees removed for the
project were replaced with several small trees. The trees
that remained on site during construction were protected
with fencing that reached to the drip line.
Enhancing Look
The project incorporated several aesthetic improvements.
The Animal Bridge, which features carved rhinoceros and
hippopotamus heads, is a 100-year-old arch with stone facades.
The structure was demolished, but the stone masonry was
disassembled, and each piece was cleaned and reassembled
on the new structure.
The 31st Street Bridge, which often serves as a gateway
to the city for visitors going to the McCormick Place Convention
Center, was given new facade; the Oakwood Bridge also received
a new facade.
The median in the drive's Burnham Park section used the
Chicago Wall design from North Lake Shore Drive, and in
Jackson Park, a unique wall design was developed to be consistent
with other structures in the park.
Facades were created for each of the pedestrian underpasses,
and each was contextualized for its particular location.
Managing Traffic
It was important to ensure the community
could navigate through traffic, and every other week the
Chicago Department of Transportation, which implemented
the project, held meetings with major parties on the route.
They included the McCormick Place, La Rabida Children's
Hospital and the Museum of Science and Industry.
A moveable barrier wall, which was used for the first time
in Chicago history, was used. The barrier, which is also
known as a zipper wall, was shifted across a reversible
traffic lane between peak periods to provide three lanes
in the peak direction and two in the opposite direction.
There were fewer accidents on the drive during construction
than there are during normal operations.
The Lakefront Path was treated with the same attention as
the roadway. The drive reconstruction entailed closing path
sections, and temporary paving was laid.
Sheeting was driven and the inlet drained leading from a
harbor, and the inlet was restored and the sheeting removed
in time for the boating season.
Enhanced Access, Safety
Pedestrian access was enhanced with the
addition of an underpass at 57th Street where formerly there
was not even a defined crosswalk and four new underpasses.
Because the underpasses at 57th and 63rd are below lake
levels, permanent cutoff walls and a pump station were constructed.
Chicago's only beach boardwalk was installed during the
project at the 57th Street Beach to provide a separate path
for beach-goers from the bicyclists and joggers and improve
safety therewith.
The jury said, "It is really hard to pull something
off like this logistically. It was a well-managed job and
close to clockwork. The volume of landscaping alone is tremendous.
That they were able to design and give back green space
is fabulous. There's a human element. People will have greater
access to the lakefront."
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