* I had a gut feeling since the Democratic National Convention started that closing the Kennedy’s reversibles for VIPs caused a significant delay in completing the expressway’s repairs. Thank goodness for reporters like Ben Bradley…
While Illinois Department of Transportation officials were telling the press and the public the Kennedy Expressway reversible lane construction project was on-time, the contractor had been warning for months about delays caused by IDOT’s orders.
WGN Investigates obtained a memo from the contractor, John Burns Construction Company, that warned IDOT’s order to re-open the reversible lanes before they were finished so VIPs in town for the Democratic National Convention could be whisked between O’Hare and downtown had an outsized impact.
While the convention lasted only a week in August, the contractor said IDOT’s order to remove all equipment from the roadway delayed the project by 32 days. […]
In a sign the contractor’s claims that IDOT is responsible for delays are legitimate, the agency tells WGN Investigates it does not anticipate seeking financial penalties for the delays.
* Last summer, that exclusive VIP access to the reversibles brought to my mind the old Soviet ZiL lanes…
ZiL lanes (also sometimes called “Chaika lanes”) are lanes on some principal roads in Moscow dedicated to vehicles carrying senior government officials. Known officially in Russian as rezervniye polosy (”reserved lanes”) notably but not exclusively used by ZiL and Chaika brand limousines transporting high ranking government and military functionaries of the Soviet Union. ZiL lanes emerged in the 1960s during the rule of Leonid Brezhnev, replacing the previous system of having other vehicles flagged down to make way for those of top officials. A two way lane was inserted into the middle of some of Moscow’s main highways in place of the central reservations, and were off-limits to all traffic but authorised civilian and emergency service vehicles. ZiL lanes and restricted routes caused considerable disruption to Moscow’s traffic because of the absolute priority given to their users.
Ben has lots more on what further delayed the construction’s completion, so click here.
- Adams St Stan - Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 8:55 am:
Unpopular opinion. Cost benefit was worth it.
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 9:11 am:
We found someone to blame for the traffic! Go ahead and send the Pulitzer over to WGN right now, this is gonna change everything.
- JB13 - Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 9:12 am:
Gov. Pritzker must take responsibility for this.
His rules, not mine.
- @misterjayem - Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 9:18 am:
“IDOT’s order to remove all equipment from the roadway delayed the project by 32 days.”
But it was all worth the extended inconvenience because… uhh… hmm…
– MrJM
- Scooter - Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 9:35 am:
Decent transit options were available; Metra even ran special service on its North Central Service for the DNC. Good on IDOT for owning the delay and not trying to incur penalty costs to its contractor, but was it really necessary?
- West Side the Best Side - Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 9:47 am:
Would have been a lot cheaper to put the VIPs on the last car of an L train from O’Hare with a couple coppers at the doors keeping everyone else out of that car. They could have watched the Kennedy construction in progress as they rode past.
- Just Me 2 - Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 9:50 am:
What was wrong with using the Blue Line, or even the Metra line from the rental car depot? I never drive to ORD (or MDW) as transit options are always more convenient, more reliable, and faster.
- low level - Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 9:50 am:
IL GOP to start issuing press releases and statements based on a story from that awful liberal legacy media. I guess they aint so bad after all, are they guys?
- Huh? - Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 9:51 am:
It is common to stop highway construction during an event of local importance.
Years ago, I worked in Louisville on a $800 million project. The contract specified that all lanes were required to be open and equipment removed during the week prior to the Kentucky Derby. Work was allowed to restart the Monday after the Kentucky derby.
Not having the Kennedy special provisions, I can only guess there was a similar requirement.
I do know the IDOT Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction does have requirements to have all lanes open for specific holidays.
- Frumpy White Guy - Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 9:56 am:
Am I the only one that needed to google the word Obsequence?
- Excitable Boy - Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 10:06 am:
- The contract specified that all lanes were required to be open and equipment removed during the week prior to the Kentucky Derby. -
The Kentucky Derby is an annual event and that shutdown would have been planned for by the contractors involved. The DNC is a one time event and this shutdown caused a big delay for the benefit of a select few.
- Good on IDOT for owning the delay and not trying to incur penalty costs to its contractor -
I wouldn’t pat them on the back, they would have never been successful trying to collect these LDs.
- Two Left Feet - Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 10:06 am:
Was the cost of removing all of the equipment from the roadway part of the original bid or was that a change order? /s
- Juice - Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 10:15 am:
The ZiL lanes sound like the McCormick place busway that the Mayor/Governor/Board President are able to use to get around loop traffic.
- Marine Life - Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 10:36 am:
Adams St, what exactly was the benefit? That Dem VIPs who attended would not have done so without this perk? Seems unlikely. Or that they were spared wait times while others were not? Not a good look for the party of the people.
- Chicagoan - Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 11:04 am:
Not sure I could find a better metaphor for the Pritzker administration.
- Huh? - Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 11:23 am:
Excitable - Chicago was selected over a year prior to the convention. IDOT should have known of the event and incorporated measures to minimize the impacts .
“Select few” - Nearly 4,700 delegates attended the convention, along with their entourages, untold number of protestors, and media were in town for the event. Wikipedia says approximately 50,000 people were expected to be in town for the convention.
Losing a week at the height of the construction season is always problematic.
Joe - Omer should have been thrown under the bus years ago. He did nothing good for IDOT.
- low level - Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 11:33 am:
==sound like the McCormick place busway that the Mayor/Governor/Board President are able to use to get around loop traffic.==
They are used by people attending conventions, thereby increasing the chances trade shows that create jobs and help grow Illinois economy will want to return in future years.
Fixed it for you.
- Matty - Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 11:53 am:
What an overblown “expose” this is. Frankly, I think they made the right decision in the first place.
32 days overdue. Have none of us watched a construction project before?
- Juice - Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 12:40 pm:
Low level, I did not mean to ignore the busway’s primary purpose (transporting convention traffic from hotels to McCormick place), nor diminish its value.
Only commenting on the fact that it is also used by the various police details for certain elected officials as well.
- City Zen - Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 12:45 pm:
==put the VIPs on the last car of an L train from O’Hare with a couple coppers at the doors keeping everyone else out==
So segregate them?
- Jerry - Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 12:46 pm:
Nothing burger.