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* 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.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 8:25 am
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Unpopular opinion. Cost benefit was worth it.
Comment by Adams St Stan Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 8:55 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.
Comment by Larry Bowa Jr. Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 9:11 am
Gov. Pritzker must take responsibility for this.
His rules, not mine.
Comment by JB13 Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 9:12 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
Comment by @misterjayem Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 9:18 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?
Comment by Scooter Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 9:35 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.
Comment by West Side the Best Side Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 9:47 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.
Comment by Just Me 2 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?
Comment by low level Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 9:50 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.
Comment by Huh? Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 9:51 am
Am I the only one that needed to google the word Obsequence?
Comment by Frumpy White Guy Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 9:56 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.
Comment by Excitable Boy 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
Comment by Two Left Feet Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 10:06 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.
Comment by Juice Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 10:15 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.
Comment by Marine Life Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 10:36 am
Not sure I could find a better metaphor for the Pritzker administration.
Comment by Chicagoan Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 11:04 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.
Comment by Huh? Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 11:23 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.
Comment by low level Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 11:33 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?
Comment by Matty Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 11:53 am
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.
Comment by Juice Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 12:40 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?
Comment by City Zen Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 12:45 pm
City Zen - Do you think the VIPs would want to mingle with the common folk in an L car? They don’t even want to mingle in traffic.
Comment by West Side the Best Side Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 2:22 pm
Much ado about nothing
Comment by Shytown Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 3:19 pm
Once again, IDOT passes the buck despite changing the plan. Another fine example of incompetence by State government being blamed on contractors doing what they were told to do, then trying to cover it up.
Comment by thisjustinagain Tuesday, Feb 4, 25 @ 4:49 pm