Circle Interchange To Be Dedicated To Jane Byrne
By Chuck Sudo in News on Aug 27, 2014 1:30PM
The movement to honor former Mayor Jane Byrne continues. Gov. Pat Quinn announced he would rededicate the currently under re-construction Circle Interchange, best known for providing thousands of motorists with epic headaches, in honor of Chicago's only female mayor Friday.
Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed, who has helped wage this campaign along with Byrne's daughter Kathy, has the details.
The name change and unveiling of the sign for the Mayor Jane Byrne Interchange will be at 2:30 p.m. Friday, though the exact location of the ceremony is undecided. Byrne’s daughter, Kathy, will be there, but it’s unclear whether the former mayor will join her.“The interchange is an iconic gateway where thousands of motorists travel daily to make their way to and from the great city of Chicago,” a Sneed source said. “The governor believes that renaming the interchange to honor Jane Byrne is a fitting tribute to a remarkable woman who has become an icon of the city she once led.”
Look, we're all for honoring Byrne, her accomplishments and her place in history, but we can do better than a traffic-choked stretch of roadway with no connection to her. At least Mayor Emanuel and City Council put some thought into it when they announced dedicating the plaza surrounding the Water Tower after Byrne, a move that, considering their options, was the best available.
The exact location of Friday's dedication is to be announced.