Lake Shore Drive Extension Opens This Weekend

By Chuck Sudo in News on Oct 25, 2013 2:25PM

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The 2-mile extension of South Lake Shore Drive will officially open to automobile traffic 9 a.m. Sunday, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation. The extension runs from Rainbow Beach at 79th Street to 92nd Street, intersects the former U. S. Steel plant site, will have two lanes for motor vehicle traffic in each direction from 79th Street to 87th Street with a bike lane in each direction and a shared vehicle-bike lane from 87th Street to 92nd capable of accommodating 27,000 vehicles daily.

In addition to providing residents of the Southeast side with a simpler entry into the city the extension also marks the beginning of a beautification project of the nearly 600 acre U.S. Steel site. Nearly 600 trees have been planted along the route and the roadway’s planted medians and rights of way have been landscaped to complement the lakefront. A real estate development firm, McCaffery Interest Inc., is working with U.S. Steel to develop the property into a mixed-use community called Chicago Lakeside and has donated 100 acres to the Chicago Park District.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Gov. Pat Quinn will officially cut the ribbon on the extension 9 a.m. Oct. 26, followed by a 5K run/walk and a festival that will run until 6 p.m. The bike lanes will open Saturday.