What's Driving You Crazy? Navy Pier flyover ramp

Roz Varon Image
Thursday, May 11, 2017
What's Driving You Crazy? Navy Pier flyover ramp
Many people have asked about when the pedestrian flyover ramp near Navy Pier will open, since construction started in 2014.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- What's driving you crazy? Many of people reached out to ABC7 Eyewitness News Traffic Anchor Roz Varon to get answers.

Many people have asked about when the pedestrian flyover ramp near Navy Pier will open, since construction started in 2014.

An ABC7 viewer named Rich posted a tweet that said the ramp looks like it's done, but there's a section that stops just north of the Chicago River.

"What the public sees now is that we are nearing completion on the first of three segments. The second and third segments, which will complete this flyover from Jane Addams Park on the North Side all the way over the river to the South Side of the river, is anticipated to be complete by the end of 2018," Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld said.

The flyover ramp had to be built in three segments because of its complexity and the spacing of funding.

The first section winds its way between the buildings and Lake Shore Drive, flying over Grand and Illinois streets, connecting back to the lower level of the bridge. Work to build the second segment, off the side of the bridge from the Ogden slip to the Chicago River, will start this summer. Construction of the third and final section gets underway this fall and will be built through the existing bridge house along Lake Shore Drive.

This isn't the only pedestrian bridge being built this year. A lot of attention is being focused on the South Side.

"We are improving, or building new, five crossings to the lakefront in the Bronzeville and Kenwood areas," Scheinfeld said.

The 35th Street pedestrian overpass opened last fall. This year, a new bridge accessing the lakefront will be built at 41st Street as well as replacing the existing pedestrian bridge at 43rd Street. Crews will also be rebuilding the sections of 31st and Oakwood streets, which go over the railroad tracks.

Construction of the South Side bridges will also be staggered. The 41st Street bridge is projected to be done by the end of 2018. The rest will be finished in 2018 and 2019.

Next week, Roz will get answers about gridlock in Chicago's Loop.