Proposal for Lake Shore Drive (Chicago Ave and Oak Street S-curve)

[ET21]

A very ambitious plan was proposed by a local alderman, which not only eliminates the S-curve, but gives Chicago Ave a full interchange and a major parkland update. LSD would be tunneled underneath and a new park would be built over it. A new man made island would also be built.

Now whether this eliminates the Michigan Ave interchange remains to be seen. It's quite ambitious.

Here's the article via the Chicago architecture blog:
http://www.chicagoarchitecture.org/2016/05/31/its-been-a-while-but-downtown-lake-shore-drive-reconfig-still-has-a-chance/

[The Ghostbuster]

How many of you think this project will actually be constructed?

[Brandon]

Nice idea, but with what money.

Hopkins says the half-billion dollars required will come from a combination of federal and state dollars.  It makes sense that the feds would jump in line because LSD is deteriorating faster than previously predicted.  But money from Springfield?  He might have a better shot paying for the project if he took the federal funding and used it to buy Powerball tickets.  In Indiana. Where the state lottery doesn't have trouble paying its winners.

[paulthemapguy]

Might be a nice thing to think about once we have a state government again.  First we'll have to get rid of that braindead troglodyte scumbag Bruce Rauner, as he continues in his crusade to make sure the State of Illinois stops happening

[johndoe780]

Might be a nice thing to think about once we have a state government again.  First we'll have to get rid of that braindead troglodyte scumbag Bruce Rauner, as he continues in his crusade to make sure the State of Illinois stops happening

Yeah it's all his fault, not the democrats' fault at all who haven't even submitted him a 2017 budget. /s

[hotdogPi]

A very ambitious plan was proposed by a local alderman, which not only eliminates the S-curve, but gives Chicago Ave a full interchange and a major parkland update. LSD would be tunneled underneath and a new park would be built over it. A new man made island would also be built.

Was this "local alderman" dzlsabe?

[dzlsabe]

Hey! Whoa!

I simply suggested restricting Chicago Av. access from/to LSD during rush hours. That would cost virtually nothing and we could try it tomorrow. This project is $BBBs and decades of hell away.

Theres way bigger fish that need to fry way before this. Even at the other end of the district.

[Brandon]

Might be a nice thing to think about once we have a state government again.  First we'll have to get rid of that braindead troglodyte scumbag Bruce Rauner Michael J. Madigan, as he continues in his crusade to make sure the State of Illinois stops happening stays under his complete control.

FIFY.  Mike's been Speaker of the House for decades, Bruce has only been there less than 2 years.

[paulthemapguy]

Inflammatory comments aside, I love the idea of filling in some of Lake Michigan (if Japan can fill in the ocean, we can do this too) so we can get a larger-radius curve for Lake Shore Drive.  I had a similar idea a couple years ago, but it wasn't nearly as ambitious.  I never considered a Chicago Ave interchange and all this stuff!  The land not used for the highway directly can be used for added parks and beaches, which can make this idea a bit more attractive to developers.  Green space and beaches = yay!  And considering the insane influx of people to Chicago's beaches this past Memorial Day, city planners would likely welcome more square yardage of beaches along more yards of lakefront.  They had to hire extra police to direct traffic!  Just so people could dunk themselves into frigid 52-degree water (52°F/11°C).

[johndoe780]

I kinda wish they would 5 lane Lake shore.

Almost impossible due to lack of space.

[Joe The Dragon]

I kinda wish they would 5 lane Lake shore.

Almost impossible due to lack of space.

It can use shoulders more then just the short ones in place now maybe part time lanes /  shoulders and at least 55 MPH posted.