WOODLAWN — City road work will shut down lanes on major arteries in and around Jackson Park this week with closures in effect through winter 2023, as city crews rearrange the park’s layout for the Obama Presidential Center.
One southbound lane on DuSable Lake Shore Drive will be closed between 57th and Hayes drives starting Thursday, Chicago Department of Transportation spokesperson Susan Hofer said.
Crews will use the closed lane as a construction zone while they widen the southbound portion of the highway to three lanes, Hofer said.
“Traffic patterns and work zones will shift several times over the next year,” she said. “By late 2023, the new third travel lane on southbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive will be complete and opened to traffic.”
Drivers can expect backups heading southbound on DuSable Lake Shore Drive during construction, particularly during the evening rush hour, CDOT engineer Dave Miller said. The city recommends using 57th and Cornell drives as an alternate route to head south during construction, Miller said.
Drivers on Stony Island Avenue will face intermittent lane closures from 59th Street to Marquette Drive during the daytime starting April 18. One lane of traffic will remain open in each direction.
The closures come as the city works to widen Stony Island Avenue to provide two lanes in each direction from 59th to 64th streets. Crews will also redesign the entire stretch to include parking on both sides; landscaped medians; and new signals, bus stops and pedestrian crossings.
Hayes Drive immediately west of DuSable Lake Shore Drive is fully closed starting Monday, according to CDOT.
The Hayes Drive closures come as crews will repair the bridge over the Jackson Park Inner Harbor and build a new underpass beneath Hayes, Miller said.
Lanes on Hayes Drive will be closed during the daytime between Stony Island and DuSable Lake Shore Drive starting April 18.
Park visitors will still be able to access trails, Chicago Park District buildings, ball fields, golf courses and parking lots during construction, though the boat launch at Jackson Park’s Inner Harbor and the neighboring parking lot at 1987 E. Hayes Drive will be closed.
The traffic changes mark the first phase in a redesign of roads in and around Jackson Park for the Obama Center. In addition to widening DuSable Lake Shore Drive and Stony Island Avenue, planned permanent road changes include:
- Closing the following roads and converting them to park land:
- Cornell Drive between the Midway Plaisance and Hayes Drive.
- The northbound section of Cornell Drive between 65th and 68th streets.
- Marquette Drive between Stony Island Avenue and Richards Drive.
- The eastbound portion of Midway Plaisance between Stony Island Avenue and Cornell Drive.
- Changes to other roadways, bike paths and walkways in and around Jackson Park.
The project’s second phase will focus on road work south of 64th Street and take place from 2023-2025.
The third phase will focus on building pedestrian underpasses south of 64th Street — including ones at Jeffery Boulevard and South Shore Drive — starting in 2025.
The Chicago Department of Transportation is set to spend $174 million in state funds on the road projects.
For more information on Obama Center-related road work, visit CDOT’s landing page for Jackson Park.
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