Motorists urged to stay off downtown expressways
October 14, 2009 3:50 PM
The public is being warned to avoid downtown Chicago expressways after pavement was damaged during construction work on the northbound Kennedy Expressway at Adams Street.
"We're advising people to stay off the downtown expressways for the next 24 hours," said Marisa Kollias, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Transportation.
"This is a major crisis."
Workers were pumping concrete into an underground freight tunnel this morning when "pressure made the road erupt," according to an IDOT dispatcher.
Kollias said the northbound Kennedy was
reduced this afternoon to one lane of traffic around the site of the construction mishap.
The damaged pavement is just north of where the Kennedy connects to the Dan Ryan and Eisenhower expressways.
Winners from the comment section:
"predictable": This wouldn't have happened IF EVERYONE ON THE ROAD HAD GUNS! The concrete would be too SCARED to collapse.
"Terry Kilpatrick": There must be a Nobel Prize in this for somebody. Nominations are now open.
"Sean Grady": Good thing those five guys are standing in a circle and talking. That looks like an effective means of road repair.