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Owner Frank Guske of Wells Automotive said his shop has worked on at least seven cars damaged by overnight road work on the drive.
The evening rush was a wince-inducing, evasive-maneuver-taking, drive-too-fast-at-your-own-risk proposition, that left driver after driver flat out of luck.
"I hit, I hit...It literally wasn't even a pothole, it was like a huge hole in the middle of the road and I just hear a 'boom!'" said Sam Vanaria, who got a flat tire.
The problems in the southbound lanes began after CDOT removed the top layer of pavement between Irving Park Road and LaSalle as part of an ongoing resurfacing project. Officials said the base layer was in worse condition than expected.
The result, drivers said, was a minefield of potholes leaving a train of tire rims and repair bills in their wake.
"I hear a big bump around the Fullerton exit area," said Elijah Stevenson-Jordan, which is now facing thousands of dollars in repairs.
Stevenson-Jordan is a surgical nurse at RUSH Hospital. He said he was on his way to work when his day took a turn before it even really began.
"I hear my tire start to do that spin where you know the pressure is kind of changing and my car starts rearing to the left," Stevenson-Jordan said. "I get off at Lower Wacker and then I pull out at and decide to call a tow truck."
His car was towed to Wells Automotive, which is now working on damaged cars plagued by the same overnight road work on southbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
"It can always be worse," Guske said. "If you're not in the hospital, this is a repairable thing."
He said the cars he's seen come into his shop all seem to be damaged in similar places.
"All of them seem to be a spot in the lane where it's the front left tire getting damaged," Guske said. "We have others that are being towed in right now."
Stevenson-Jordan said he's now stuck with a $2,000 repair bill and feels guilty over missing important surgical cases at the hospital.
"It's really disappointing to call my manager and be like hey I know you're going to need me in 25 for this case, but I just hit this random pothole in Lake Shore Drive," Stevenson-Jordan said.
Crews worked throughout the day to fill as many holes as they could.
CDOT will expand overnight closures beginning Thursday at 7 p.m. on DuSable Lake Shore Drive. The southbound lanes will be reduced to two between Belmont Avenue and LaSalle Drive.
At 10:30 p.m. all southbound lanes will close between Belmont and LaSalle.
All lanes are expected to be open by 6 a.m. Friday.
The Chicago Department of Transportation released the following statement:
"As part of CDOT's ongoing resurfacing of North DuSable Lake Shore Drive, crews have been milling the southbound lanes this week between Irving Park Road and LaSalle Drive. The roadway base was found to be in poorer condition than anticipated, resulting in potholes on the milled surface.
Crews responded this morning to perform immediate repairs...We remind drivers that the area is a milled surface and to drive with caution and observe the posted reduced speeds during construction."
To learn how to file a claim about vehicle damage, visit the Chicago City Clerk's Office website, or click here.