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OLD IRVING PARK — A busy Milwaukee Avenue intersection on the Northwest Side will be closed for construction the next four months, forcing a detour to avoid the construction.
Metra crews closed full traffic access for cars, pedestrians and cyclists on Milwaukee Avenue between Kilbourn and Kenneth avenues this month — and it could be closed through December. They hope the closure will speed up a massive Metra project that began in October to upgrade the Grayland station and replace the 122-year-old railroad bridge.
The closure will allow crews to replace the Metra bridge by the end of the year and shave six months off the project, Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th) said in his newsletter.
“Although short-term challenges are occurring, the longtime benefits of this project are undeniable,” Gardiner wrote. “By replacing this bridge, the safety of countless residents will be enhanced while simultaneously introducing an entirely new experience for commuters at the Grayland station.”
Credit: Ariel Parrella-Aureli/Block Club ChicagoIHC Construction, the company working on the bridge, initially had plans to close Milwaukee for full traffic in November, according to emails between its lead engineer and Gardiner’s staff shared through a Freedom of Information Access request. However, the company requested the start date be moved up to allow for “uninterrupted” bridge construction, which the alderman’s office approved in early August.
The closure is slated to end the last week of December, according to the emails. The city’s Department of Transportation was made aware of the closure and added detour information, signs and cones for pedestrians and cyclists to neighboring streets and intersections, said spokesperson Erica Schroeder.
Drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and the No. 56 bus are being rerouted to Addison Street, and a temporary two-way concrete bike lane barrier has been added along Addison Street between Milwaukee and Kilbourn avenues with pavement markings to provide a safer path for cyclists.
Credit: Ariel Parrella-Aureli/Block Club Chicago
Credit: Chicago Department of TransportationWhile several large signs tell commuters about the road closure, some neighbors said they’ve seen people drive the wrong way on one-way streets to avoid the construction. Anna Zolkowski Sobor, who lives close to the closed intersection, said drivers need to pay better attention to the detour signs. Over the weekend, a CTA bus driver even went the wrong way, she said.
“People are going the wrong way” on one-way streets, Zolkowski Sobor said. “It’s not just people in the neighborhood, it’s people coming in from” other areas.
Zolkowski Sobor is hopeful there will be less confusion as people become more aware of the project and the detours, she said.
After a bicyclist was killed in August near the bridge, the city and Metra put orange cones on the street to bring greater visibility to the painted bike lane.
Protected bike lanes are scheduled to come to Milwaukee Avenue between Addison Street and Irving Park Road at the end of the month, Schroeder said. Crews were out this week adding paint to where the bike lanes will go and removing the flexiposts in front of Schurz High school to prepare for the installation.
“Concrete curbs will be installed under the viaduct in both directions in coordination with Metra’s work,” Schroeder said. “During the work period, people biking can use the Kilbourn and Addison detour route.”
Credit: Ariel Parrella-Aureli/Block Club ChicagoA speed camera is also coming to the area before the end of the year, though no exact timeline has been announced.
The Metra station at 3729 N. Kilbourn Ave. is being rebuilt with longer platforms, new signs, shelters with on-demand heat on each side, ramps to make it ADA-compliant and more.
The new bridge is supposed to improve train reliability by reducing delays from slow zones and track closures or trains canceled due to maintenance and repair work on the existing bridge.
The overall $36.1 million upgrade is still set to be completed in spring 2024, officials previously said.
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