Trafficpocalypse Update

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Oct 15, 2009 1:20PM

What at first seemed to be a bad situation getting worse for morning traffic is slowly clearing up. Yesterday afternoon, a "pavement failure" on the Kennedy Expressway prompted IDOT officials to caution motorists to avoid all downtown expressways for 24 hours. Then, this morning, Red Line service in the Loop was cut when a man fell on the tracks at the Jackson Red Line stop, forcing Red Line trains to the elevated lines.

However, it seems to be clearing up. As of a little after 8 a.m., power was restored to the Red Line tracks and trains were returning to their original routes but residual delays should still be expected (the man who fell on the tracks was last reported in critical condition). Meanwhile, IDOT announced that crews were able to take care of pavement issues with the Kennedy overnight and all lanes of the expressway are once again open.

Still, we're hearing reports from readers and even some Chicagoist staffers that the CTA is all kinds of a hot mess this morning, so allow extra time.