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Utility company street patching destroying bike routes

Has anyone else noticed the new style of rough, hard, concrete patching that is being done and apparently accepted by the City of Chicago, often obliterating existing bike routes.

Clark St. between Howard and Devon used to be a prime commuting route for me.  In spite of many lights, they were well synchronized and you could make really good time on that part of the commute.  Not so good in the evening but a great morning route.

That was until last year when some utilty tore up the street right in the bike lane and replaced it not with asphalt, but with this hard concrete.  The crew that did the patch made not the slightest attempt to smooth their work out and now Clark is basically unrideable.

Now another bike lane that was part of my commute, Pratt Blvd., has gotten the same treatment.

So while the city, to great fanfare, introduces new protected bike lanes in some part of the city, they fail to enforce basic street-paving standards and lose bike lanes that have served us well for years.

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Permalink Reply by Mark on May 21, 2013 at 12:17pm

CDOT is aware of the Clark Street trench between Howard and Devon.  It was dug up and patched with concrete by Peoples Gas to upgrade the gas main.  CDOT will be repaving it with asphalt.  I'll post if I hear anything more specific.

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on May 21, 2013 at 12:25pm

I'm no Rahm-hugger, but I think there was some risk taken on his part in shaking things up internally, and it needed to be done.

Anne Alt said:

Artistically rustic concrete treatment...

That's a very euphemistic way of putting it. ;)

...Rahm was pitting subcontractors against city crews...

Charming.


Wells north of Chicago has been a washboard-like mess for about a year, too. I heard from CDOT that it's supposed to get properly resurfaced this year.  I know that a lot of people will welcome that positive change.

Permalink Reply by Michelle S on May 21, 2013 at 1:41pm

I'm posting part of today's press release from the city because it lists upcoming streets that will be undergoing work this year, so you may want to avoid. I notice that they announced that there will be 35 miles of "bike lines" installed, and I assume they meant "bike lanes" but who knows.

____________________

In 2013, the following investments will be made:

Department of Water Management ($475.7M)

  • 75 Miles of New Water Mains
  • 17 Miles of New Sewers
  • 14,000 Catch Basins Lined
  • 12,000 Meters Installed
  • Upgrade of Springfield Pumping Station

Department of Transportation ($483.9M)

  • 300 Miles of Resurfaced Streets (w/Water)
  • 270 Blocks of New street Lights
  • Install 35 miles of Bike Lines
  • Complete Wells St Bridge

Chicago Transit Authority ($601.1M)

  • New Red Line Dan Ryan Branch
  • Begin Construction on Wilson Station
  • Milwaukee Blue Line Track Work
  • Approximately two miles of New Loop Track
  • Upgraded (HD) Cameras on All El Stations

To help residents, commuters and tourists plan for temporary disruptions to roadways, city officials released a summary of projects whose breadth and depth are expected to have an impact on travel times for 30 days or longer.  These include:

 

Water Main Projects

Street                 From         To                  Start Date

Sheffield             Fullerton  Armitage       Late Spring

Michigan            55th St.     59th St.         June/July

Broadway          Balmoral  Foster           June/July

Pulaski               Wilson      Elston            June/July

Pearson             State          Michigan       July/August

Milwaukee         Ogden       Erie               October

Canal Street       31st St.      33rd St.         Fall

Superior            LaSalle      Dearborn     Mid/Late Fall

Chestnut            Orleans     LaSalle          Late Fall

Rush                   Oak            Chestnut       Late Fall

 

Sewer Main Projects

Street                 From         To                  Start Date

State                   9th St.         11th St.           TBD

Jackson/Canal                                           TBD

 

Transportation Projects

Street                 From         To                  Start Date

Ogden                 Madison   Western        May

Fairbanks          Grand       Pearson        June

Vincennes          67th St.     103rd St.       June

Harlem               Higgins     Howard        July

Western             34th St.     74th St.         July

Permalink Reply by Will on May 21, 2013 at 2:58pm

Wells was miserable during the winter. Worse than cobblestones.

I live near Diversey and Ashland, and they had Diversey torn up between Racine and Sheffield the same way. It was repaved with asphalt several weeks ago, much better now.

Permalink Reply by Steve Cohen on May 21, 2013 at 3:55pm

I don't fully accept the "two crews explanation".  Yes, I know that asphalt requires different technology and therefore different crews than concrete, but if the lag time was going to be close to a year they should have made them smooth the concrete and not accepted this half-finished work.

Cameron 7.5 mi said:

1. The two crews explanation seems likely. Asphalt takes different equipment, which in a big operation probably also means different people and may also mean different unions. Now the question is why can't the two crews be scheduled so that the pavers follow not to far behind the utility crew?

Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on May 21, 2013 at 5:26pm

Hey friends, we saw this (Steve, we saw your blog comment too...also, thanks for being a member)...we've talked to CDOT and others about this and will respond in more detail soon.

Thanks much,

Ethan Spotts, Active Trans

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on May 21, 2013 at 7:32pm

Good point.  Maybe CDOT did not check with the Water Department first?

Stefanie said:

Ugh, why are they ripping up and repaving Milwaukee now, if that stretch is going to be torn up again in October?

Michelle Stenzel said:

 

Water Main Projects

Street                 From         To                  Start Date

Sheffield             Fullerton  Armitage       Late Spring

Michigan            55th St.     59th St.         June/July

Broadway          Balmoral  Foster           June/July

Pulaski               Wilson      Elston            June/July

Pearson             State          Michigan       July/August

Milwaukee         Ogden       Erie               October

Canal Street       31st St.      33rd St.         Fall

Superior            LaSalle      Dearborn     Mid/Late Fall

Chestnut            Orleans     LaSalle          Late Fall

Rush                   Oak            Chestnut       Late Fall

Permalink Reply by Steve Cohen on May 21, 2013 at 8:10pm
Thanks, Ethan. I look forward to hearing whatever news ATA can provide on this.



Active Transportation Alliance said:

Hey friends, we saw this (Steve, we saw your blog comment too...also, thanks for being a member)...we've talked to CDOT and others about this and will respond in more detail soon.

Thanks much,

Ethan Spotts, Active Trans

Permalink Reply by PC on May 22, 2013 at 8:18am

I for one am pleased, as I prefer a bit of surface diversity on my commutes. Steel frame, CX tires and a B17 make for a fine ride regardless of surface condition.

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on May 22, 2013 at 8:40am

The same thing was done to N Wells between North and Division. It has been that way since mid-last year.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on May 22, 2013 at 9:20am

If that's the case, so much for the effectiveness of CDOT's construction coordination effort.  I'll be curious to hear what Ethan is able to find out.

Lisa Curcio 4.0 mi said:

Good point.  Maybe CDOT did not check with the Water Department first?

Stefanie said:

Ugh, why are they ripping up and repaving Milwaukee now, if that stretch is going to be torn up again in October?

Michelle Stenzel said:

 

Water Main Projects

Street                 From         To                  Start Date

Sheffield             Fullerton  Armitage       Late Spring

Michigan            55th St.     59th St.         June/July

Broadway          Balmoral  Foster           June/July

Pulaski               Wilson      Elston            June/July

Pearson             State          Michigan       July/August

Milwaukee         Ogden       Erie               October

Canal Street       31st St.      33rd St.         Fall

Superior            LaSalle      Dearborn     Mid/Late Fall

Chestnut            Orleans     LaSalle          Late Fall

Rush                   Oak            Chestnut       Late Fall

Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on May 22, 2013 at 11:48am

Thanks Steve and everyone for this great thread!

Active Trans is committed to maintaining the existing network of bike lanes even as we advocate for new lanes and other improvements around the city.  Here’s a little bit of background and some actions you can all take to help address the issues raised here, which I hope you find helpful!

The issue of utility work leaving bike lanes in rough shape is a long-standing one.  We’ve spoken with CDOT about it many times over the years, both generally and about specific streets, and will continue to do so.  But it’s an issue that’s bigger than just CDOT with lots of other agencies and contractors doing work on our streets that can lead to the kinds of problems documented in this thread. 

Historically, there has not been much coordination among all of the agencies/contractors.  This can lead to poor road conditions and inefficient use of public resources.  We’ve heard that some groups have begun to meet and are starting to coordinate, so hopefully year-long gaps between work being completed and street conditions being restored will become less of an issue going forward.  This is something we’ll continue to monitor and appreciate your input and feedback wherever possible.

But the bottom line is that we have a right to expect our streets to be restored to their previous condition in a timely manner after work is completed.  We’ll continue to raise the issue, but it’s also critically important for residents to make their voices heard by reporting inadequate street conditions to the city and their alderman – which both demonstrates public concern and generates hard data the city can use to improve its services.

Here are a few things you can do to report inadequately restored streets:

1. Report it via 311 – use the “street cut complaint” category. More complaints will help to document with real data that there is a real problem the city needs to address: http://311request.cityofchicago.org/reports/new?service_id=4ffa995a...

2. Contact your alderman about it. Find who that is here: https://webapps3.cityofchicago.org/StickerOnlineWeb/pageflows/wardL...

3. Contact CDOT at cdotbikes@cityofchicago.org

Thanks again,

Jim Merrell - Active Trans

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