North Lake Shore Drive project details

The work will occur in two phases--the southbound lanes first, followed by the northbound lanes. To minimize the impact on traffic, all lanes will be open in the primary rush-hour direction--southbound in the morning, northbound in the evening.

Work will occur only in the off-peak hours. Crews will temporarily close two lanes of traffic at a time, and reopen them for the rush hour. Work will occur weekdays, though some weekend work will be allowed, as necessary.

Project schedule

Southbound lanes
• 10 a.m.--two lanes closed
• 6 a.m. the following day--lanes reopen

The roadway will be fully open from 6 a.m.-10 a.m. each morning to accommodate rush-hour traffic.

Some southbound ramps will be closed during the daytime hours, as needed. No consecutive ramps will be closed at the same time. During Cubs home games, three southbound lanes are maintained three hours prior to the start of the game until one hour after the game. Work on the southbound lanes is scheduled to continue through November.

Northbound lanes
• 7 p.m.--two lanes closed
• 2 p.m. the following day--lanes reopen

The roadway will be fully open from 2 p.m.-7 p.m. each afternoon/evening to accommodate rush-hour traffic.

Work on the northbound lanes is tentatively scheduled to begin in spring 2009 and continue through July 2009.

"North Lake Shore Drive is a very busy roadway, with some sections carrying more than 100,000 vehicles daily," said CDOT Commissioner Thomas G. Byrne. "The plan we've created will have the least amount of impact on traffic while allowing us to complete the project as quickly as possible."

The Irving Park-Foster section of Lake Shore Drive is the most-deteriorated section of the roadway, said Byrne. This past winter, CDOT pothole-repair crews visited the area more than 200 times and filled more than 1,500 potholes.

The resurfacing work entails making repairs to the roadway pavement joints, removing and replacing deteriorated pavement, and placing a new layer of asphalt.

The resurfacing will provide a smooth driving surface for several years to come, officials said. Earlier this year, CDOT crews made repairs to several other sections of North Lake Shore Drive.

Funding for the $6 million resurfacing project is provided by the State of Illinois via the Illinois Department of Transportation. Capital improvements to Lake Shore Drive--U.S. Route 41--fall under the state's jurisdiction.