City to repave several major streets in Chicago

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Several Chicago streets will see big improvements in 2015. The city is scheduled to start repaving about 61 miles of main roadway in the spring.

Chicago Department of Transportation officials said they're aiming to repave at least 300 miles of roads annually. The new standard comes after last year's brutal winter, which led to a very busy pothole season.

CDOT will focus on seven spots:

115th Street, from Vincennes Avenue to State Street (2.3 miles)

Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, from Cermak Road to 37th Street (2 miles)

Wentworth Avenue, from Pershing Road to the Stevenson Expressway (1.6 miles)

Cicero Avenue, from Division Street to the Eisenhower Expressway (2.1 miles)

Irving Park Road, from Cumberland Avenue to Forest Preserve Avenue (1.3 miles)

Douglas Boulevard, from Independence Boulevard to Sacramento Drive (1 mile)

Lake Shore Drive, from North Avenue to Grand Avenue (1.5 miles)

Motorists who use King Drive in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood said the repaving is long overdue.

"If they use material that's going to last, if they keep using what they've been using, it's a waste of money," Shelly Bailey said.

The mayor's office said more than 1,000 miles of Chicago streets have been repaved since 2011.

"Whether it's plowing our roads in the winter or repaving them in the spring and summer, we're making sure Chicago residents can keep moving in all seasons," Emanuel said.