Apr 16, 2008 6:09 pm US/Central
$4.5 Million Coming To Fix Lake Shore Dr. Potholes
Roadway To Be Resurfaced From Irving Park Road To Foster Avenue
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
Chicago's pothole-plagued Lake Shore Drive will soon get a $4.5 million facelift.
Earlier this month, Chicago officials said the north end of the scenic route along Lake Michigan was so bad that the speed limit couldn't be raised from 40 miles per hour to 45 miles per hour, as it normally is in the summer.
But Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Milton Sees now says the state is releasing the $4.5 million in funding so the road can be resurfaced.
Chicago Department of Transportation spokesman Brian Steele says his agency has been working with state officials for about a year to get the money for the repair project.
"It's certainly one of the worst of the major arteries in Chicago in terms of potholes," he said. The harsh winter, with multiple thawing and freezing cycles, produced an unusually high number of potholes."
Many drivers agree.
"Every time I get on I just feel the car going into big ditches," said motorist Nicole Willis.
Construction is scheduled to start early summer and last throughout the season, which means lanes closures and delays on one of the busiest roads in the city, but drivers seem willing to accept the pain.
"In the end the potholes will be repaired and Lake Shore Drive will be a safer road for folks to be on," said Marissa Kollias, of IDOT.
The details of the construction, like how many lanes will be closed and which exits will be closed are still being worked out, IDOT says.
And since the resurfacing doesn't start until the summer, the city will continue patching the potholes until the work begins.
CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Video: CBS 2's Picks To Click
