CHICAGO | General Developments

[J_M_Tungsten]

This would be amazing:

Image from here with story: https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2017...feb1-177183285

[Jibba]

Elevate Lincoln Park

[harryc]

Originally Posted by J_M_Tungsten

This would be amazing:

Image from here with story: https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2017...feb1-177183285

It would be earth shaking - to see the sun up at that angle ;-)

[ardecila]

I'm not sure I like that proposal. As it stands, Lake Shore Drive is one of the most beautiful urban vistas in the world, especially from behind the wheel. It's a reminder that driving in a city can be inspiring and uplifting and not just aggravating. Especially as a skyscraper fan, it would suck to lose that view for an underground chute.

Obviously the city needs to be designed for pedestrians and not just drivers, but this tunnel proposal will just make LSD into a concrete rat run like every other urban expressway. Hopefully there is some changes to the proposal to acknowledge that we live in the 21st century where highways are a reality that should be embraced and not swept under the rug (at tremendous cost).

[Busy Bee]

There's no need worrying because it's never going to happen.

[Chi-Sky21]

At that point of the turn nobody is looking around enjoying the scenery...at least not for long or you are trading paint with some cars or concrete barriers.

[LouisVanDerWright]

I for one like flying through that corner at like 60 MPH. Great fun.

[brian_b]

Originally Posted by Chi-Sky21

At that point of the turn nobody is looking around enjoying the scenery...at least not for long or you are trading paint with some cars or concrete barriers.

Yes, that curve would definitely benefit from being rebuilt to a higher level of safety and since you are already rebuilding it, why not make the public space better at the same time?

On Monday night I drove home and there were two separate crashes, about 1000 feet away from each other, one before the curve and one after. Aside from light fog the road conditions were perfectly normal.

[danielschell]

Went by the Cook County Central Campus Health Center at Damen and Polk today. I'll have a post up on the blog in the morning, if anyone wants to see more photos.

[marothisu]

Permit issued to construct new 4 story mixed use with 55 units and ground floor retail at 6253 S Cottage Grove Ave basically next to the Cottage Grove Green Line stop. Currently a vacant lot (https://www.google.com/maps/place/62...056c5a!6m1!1e1)

Good to see.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Permit issued to construct new 4 story mixed use with 55 units and ground floor retail at 6253 S Cottage Grove Ave basically next to the Cottage Grove Green Line stop. Currently a vacant lot (https://www.google.com/maps/place/62...056c5a!6m1!1e1)

Good to see.

What are the odds we can ever get the end of the Jackson Park branch re-extended out there? It seems downright foolish that they removed it in the first place, but even sillier now that the Obama Library will be there to have a line that dead ends like just outside of walking distance from a park which already houses a huge museum, but also a top 5 in the world university and now a presidential library. You'd think that between Obama and U of C they could come up with the money to stretch that line back out to Stony Island.

[TimeAgain]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Permit issued to construct new 4 story mixed use with 55 units and ground floor retail at 6253 S Cottage Grove Ave basically next to the Cottage Grove Green Line stop. Currently a vacant lot (https://www.google.com/maps/place/62...056c5a!6m1!1e1)

Good to see.

This was announced a while ago. Glad to see it's actually going through.

[BuildThemTaller]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

What are the odds we can ever get the end of the Jackson Park branch re-extended out there? It seems downright foolish that they removed it in the first place, but even sillier now that the Obama Library will be there to have a line that dead ends like just outside of walking distance from a park which already houses a huge museum, but also a top 5 in the world university and now a presidential library. You'd think that between Obama and U of C they could come up with the money to stretch that line back out to Stony Island.

I think a better and cheaper idea would be to run a rapid transit system off of the Metra Electric Line. There are two stops within a couple of blocks of the site of the Obama Library location. It also accomplishes a goal of placing an L stop near the museums, the south side of the lakeshore, the south side of Jackson Park, and all the way out to near the U.S. Steel South Works site. It serves so many locations along the lakeshore that are or will soon be developing. Maybe then you could tie it into the Green Line between Cottage Grove for those that need to get to the west or north sides. That would be quite an addition to the system.

[the urban politician]

^. That's too good of an idea, hence our politicians will almost certainly never propose it.

You've gotta go with something 5 times more expensive and 3 times more useless, then get back to me

[Jibba]

Originally Posted by ardecila

I'm not sure I like that proposal. As it stands, Lake Shore Drive is one of the most beautiful urban vistas in the world, especially from behind the wheel. It's a reminder that driving in a city can be inspiring and uplifting and not just aggravating. Especially as a skyscraper fan, it would suck to lose that view for an underground chute.

Obviously the city needs to be designed for pedestrians and not just drivers, but this tunnel proposal will just make LSD into a concrete rat run like every other urban expressway. Hopefully there is some changes to the proposal to acknowledge that we live in the 21st century where highways are a reality that should be embraced and not swept under the rug (at tremendous cost).

Romanticizing it as such strikes me as odd, though, especially given the benefits of having it buried. "Embracing" highways should be more sensitively and thoughtfully incorporating them into the city so that their presence doesn't reign supreme and preclude the functionality of the areas adjacent to them, not leaving them on display to serve as strident reminders of maximizing efficiency.

The obvious benefit of the expanded park space is legible access to the lakefront for those N Michigan Avenue shoppers who otherwise wouldn't bother. If they can glimpse the edges of an oasis (sans highway) on their horizon, they're times over more likely to go and explore, and I'd rather have their eyeballs on those parts of the skyline than those of speeding motorists.

That being said, I'd rather have the money go towards a seamless connection between Grant Park and the lake (with improvements to the lakefront path between Oak and Ohio St. beaches).

[Jim in Chicago]

I think we've chatted about this site before. At one point it had a big "hotel coming soon" sign, and over the past few months there's been a project to construct what looks like another strip mall.

There are now "for sale, for lease" signs up on the unfinished building. So it looks like someone built a stupid strip mall in an odd location on spec.

[moorhosj]

Originally Posted by BuildThemTaller

I think a better and cheaper idea would be to run a rapid transit system off of the Metra Electric Line. There are two stops within a couple of blocks of the site of the Obama Library location. It also accomplishes a goal of placing an L stop near the museums, the south side of the lakeshore, the south side of Jackson Park, and all the way out to near the U.S. Steel South Works site. It serves so many locations along the lakeshore that are or will soon be developing. Maybe then you could tie it into the Green Line between Cottage Grove for those that need to get to the west or north sides. That would be quite an addition to the system.

Hinz mentioned this in a Crain's article a few weeks ago:

With the Chicago Transit Authority focused on rebuilding the north end of its Red Line, increasing the frequency of Metra trains to CTA levels is the best hope of bringing good transit to McCormick Place, the new Barack Obama Presidential Center and the revitalizing mid-South Side lakefront. The CTA at one point actually considered a lease of sorts on part of the line. Efforts now are underway to put the project back on the front burner.

[Chi-Sky21]

Originally Posted by J_M_Tungsten

Image from here with story: https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2017...feb1-177183285

Some sort of this really is not toooo far fetched. The reality is the city needs to push lake waters further away from LSD at this point (and north of this) anyways. Storms lately have caused this section to be closed down.

[Rocket49]

^^ Looking at the drawing it appears that "tunnel" part of LSD would just run about 300 yards -- from about Division to about East LSD.

I think it's a great idea to increase the amount of land near the lake, to give more room for bike and pedestrian paths. And to make the area more storm resistant.

But why not save a few bucks and just keep LSD where it is now? The sharp bends they now have on LSD aren't a big issue since trucks are prohibited on the parkway.

[Freefall]

Originally Posted by Chi-Sky21

Some sort of this really is not toooo far fetched. The reality is the city needs to push lake waters further away from LSD at this point (and north of this) anyways. Storms lately have caused this section to be closed down.

The Fullerton revetment is a mini version of this. I believe the Army Corps of Engineers paid for most of it.