Construction 2017... Oh My!

I realize this has been done in the past but thought maybe it was time for a fresh thread. I'll be adding this to the quick links as well. 

Mainly, I'm posting this because so many roads have been under construction with water main and sewer projects. Being on Southport this morning near Wrigley, I had no idea I ended up (on my skinny tire road bike) in the middle of a torn up street for blocks until I gave up and got off...

Southport - not sure how far South it goes but it starts in the North at Irving. Anyone know the full extent of the torn-up streets? 6/17

Racine - a few random torn up chunks South of Belmont 6/17

Damen - torn up North of Montrose with parts of the bike lanes reduced to gravel and deep potholes 6/17

Clark - been a few weeks since I've been on it but it was pretty torn up North of Montrose to ~Foster? Also, sections near Wrigley are not great.

Lincoln Ave - Off and on from about Addison to Belmont/Ashland

Anything to add? I've noticed the bike lanes seem to disappear under construction - there tends to be pedestrian and car accommodations but bikes don't seem to be taken into consideration, making it more dangerous and with a lack of alternatives, it's worrisome.

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Permalink Reply by Fran Kondorf on June 17, 2017 at 5:28am

Broadway - I was on it just last week. Very little traffic, yes. But it was like the surface of the moon from  Irving Prk. to Belmont. Knobbies/fat tires and off-road experience recommended.

Permalink Reply by Fran Kondorf on June 27, 2017 at 10:11am

UPDATE: Happy to report that B'way has been freshly paved w/clearly marked bike lanes. (Only saw from about Irving Prk. down to Grace/Halsted but it looked promising.)

Permalink Reply by Alex Z on June 28, 2017 at 2:30am

Wow, great news! It was rough there.

Permalink Reply by Shawn Evans on June 17, 2017 at 5:55am

Halsted between Fullerton and Wrightwood is a mess. The northbound lanes are a series of patchy bumps, and southbound is pretty bad, too.

The company the city hired to replace water mains is making several messes all over the city. I've never seen the streets so bad.

Permalink Reply by Sean Newby on June 17, 2017 at 6:10am

southport is torn up through to addison.

lincoln has also been torn up for water main work from damen/irving through to berteau (?), maybe a little further.

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on June 19, 2017 at 6:33am

Thanks! I got surprised by Southport early Saturday morning starting at Irving. Especially hard to ride on a road bike with skinny tires so I got off it as quickly as I could.

Permalink Reply by Sean Newby on June 19, 2017 at 10:12am

indeed - i have come to call that kind of road surface "Chi-cobbles", as in "Oh shit, Chi-cobbles!"

i'm not particularly keen on riding some of my fatter tired bikes over that surface, on my road bike i come to an immediate and rapid stop, then re-evaluate my route choices.

Permalink Reply by Maurice on June 18, 2017 at 5:12am

Harrison -  I reported elsewhere that the brand new, freshly resurfaced bike lane already has been torn to shreds and filled with construction debris (eastbound between Morgan & Halsted).

 

Wabash - For as long as I can remember, the southbound lane just short of Roosevelt disappears and becomes a narrow pedestrian tunnel to make up for the missing sidewalk. When they first built the tunnel, the signage laughably suggested that it was intend for both pedestrians and bikes to share.

 

Archer - It was reported in another thread that construction work was started but never finished (and possibly never will be), resulting in extremely dangerous road conditions.

Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on June 18, 2017 at 6:19am
Chicago seems to have an open-ended style of street construction. They rip something out to do one task then never finalize it with the excuse that some other follow up project is scheduled later on. The area worked on near me was worked on all spring, summer and fall, then eventually finalized with a last-minute rush of concrete and asphalt in the last weeks of November and early December!
Like they say, "there's two seasons in Chicago, winter and construction."
Permalink Reply by Maurice on June 18, 2017 at 8:00am

Along the same lines, wrt the downtown "protected" lanes . . .

Dearborn - Construction left an extremely uneven surface, particularly around sewer lids. Entire blocks routinely are closed for construction purposes with no accommodation for cyclists, especially southbound cyclists who can't legally "take the lane."

Randolph - The block between State and Dearborn has been under construction for as long as the "protected" lane has existed.

Washington - Still has not been completed due to the years-long construction project on Wabash. Also probably because the hotel on State doesn't want to lose it's valet area.

Clinton - The north and south ends are being constructed incrementally. Though the new bus station on the south end has been done for awhile, the southbound lane still suddenly ends on the left and jumps over to its original position on the right with no designed means for a southbound cyclist to transition between the two.

Permalink Reply by Alex Z on June 19, 2017 at 6:31am

Regarding Dearborn, what you describe as not been my experience at all.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on June 19, 2017 at 7:20am

I've seen it in the past, but not recently.

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