Western Avenue Viaduct To Start Coming Down
(CBS) – The Western Avenue Viaduct on Chicago's North Side is coming down for good.
The traffic headaches caused by the demolition will be temporary, city transportation officials say.
The viaduct was built in 1961, as an answer to congestion around the old Riverview Amusement Park. Today, city officials said the engineering philosophy is outdated and the bridge itself is crumbling.
Barricades were up Monday, signs were posted. Beginning at midnight, the structure will become history.
"We're not going to sugar-coat anything right now. Western Avenue is highly used, and there are going to be some detours, and people need to be mindful of that. But the payoff is going to be amazing," 33rd Ward Ald. Deb Mell says.
Says Rebekah Scheinfeld, the city's Department of Transportation commissioner: "We will have new lighting; sidewalks will have a planted median. Aesthetically, it will be a much nicer place for pedestrians and motorists."
The target date for everything to be done is summer 2017. This Friday, all of Western Avenue will close for the demolition. On Monday, one lane in each direction reopens for the next five months, and then two lanes each way will be open for the remainder of the project.
The owner of a local carwash, Josephine Chikko, says recent water main repairs along the same stretch cut her business by 70 percent.
"There were days when they were not even doing any construction work, and the lanes were still closed," she says. "How's the city going to help us?"
Some businesses in the shadow of the viaduct say it will be worth the wait.
"It might be tough here and there, but we still have access to the building and you'll be able to see the building when it's done. So, I'm excited about the end result," Mike Oestmann of Cassidy Tire says.
