Multilevel streets in Chicago

Multilevel streets in Chicago
360 North Michigan, Mather Tower and 35 East Wacker stand on East Wacker Drive just west of Michigan Avenue and the Michigan Avenue Bridge.

Downtown Chicago, Illinois has some double-decked and a few triple-decked streets immediately north and south of the Main Branch and immediately east of the South Branch of the Chicago River. The most famous and longest of these is Wacker Drive, which replaced the South Water Street Market upon its 1926 completion.[1] The resulting bi-level street has an upper-level riverfront boulevard, a lower-level roadway for commercial and through traffic, and a recreational walkway at water level.[2]

Contents

History

This configuration was due to geography and traffic patterns in the Loop. Unlike most parts of the rest of the city near the river, most downtown streets crossed the river. All of these crossings are done by bascule bridges and each bridge required height clearances at the approaches to and over the river. Further necessitating clearances were many existing railroad tracks that were along the river (as in the west bank of the south branch) or tracks that ended at the river (for example the tracks ending at Randolph Street).[3] Thus along the river at points of many closely spaced crossings, a clearance zone was created. Many double-decked or triple-decked streets came into being as a result of falling within this clearance zone.

This also created an anomaly not only in the layout and uses of streets, but also planning of buildings. Generally, the upper levels of the multi-level streets usually serve local traffic. The primary entrances of buildings are usually located on this level. The lower levels generally serve through-traffic and trucks serving businesses along the roads. This level houses the receiving/shipping entrances to the buildings on these streets. Noticeable is the absence of such loading docks at street level.

The first raising occurred from 1855 to 1858, when streets and buildings were raised between four and seven feet above their former elevation, just a few feet above lake level, where they were constantly muddy. The higher elevation allowed for sewers and proper drainage.[4] However, this did not produce any two-level streets; the first of those was Michigan Avenue in the late 1910s. When the Illinois Center development was built on the east side of downtown, a new upper level was built, making most streets in that area three levels.

After about 1890, special interest groups, including recreational bicyclists, farmers delivering harvested crops to market, and motorists, began to mount support for concrete paving to replace the previously common dirt roads. Public road planning in Chicago began in 1910 when the Chicago Plan Commission was created to implement Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett's plan.[5]

The double-decked Wabash Avenue was built in 1930. On January 3, 2005, the upper and lower levels were closed at Kinzie Street for reconstruction (in conjunction with the Trump Tower Chicago development) but have since been reopened.

The city's famed Billy Goat Tavern, immortalized by John Belushi in a Saturday Night Live sketch as the Olympia Cafe,[6] is located on the lower level of Michigan Avenue.

List of streets

A map of many of the streets
A map of the rest of the streets

The following streets have double- or triple-decker sections:

  • Beaubien Court
  • Columbus Drive (triple decker)
  • Hubbard Street
  • Illinois Street
  • LaSalle Street
  • Lake Street (triple decker)
  • Lake Shore Drive (including a double-decker bridge over the Chicago River)
  • Michigan Avenue (including a double-decker bridge over the Chicago River)
  • Randolph Street (triple decker)
  • North Harbor Drive
  • Stetson Avenue (triple decker)
  • Wabash Avenue
  • Wacker Drive (triple decker)
  • Wacker Place
  • North Water Street
  • South Water Street (triple decker)

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Wacker Drive, c.1930". The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society. 2005. http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/3864.html. Retrieved 2007-08-02. 
  2. ^ "Wacker Drive, 2004". The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society. 2005. http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/10918.html. Retrieved 2007-08-02. 
  3. ^ "View Eastward along Chicago River, toward Wacker Drive and Michigan Avenue, 1931". The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society. 2005. http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/10909.html. Retrieved 2007-08-02. 
  4. ^ "Street Grades, Raising". Encyclopaedia of Chicago. http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1202.html. Retrieved 2008-02-20. 
  5. ^ "Streets and Highways". The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society. 2005. http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1209.html. Retrieved 2007-08-06. 
  6. ^ "Billy Goat Tavern". Frommers.com. Wiley Publishing, Inc.. 2007. http://www.frommers.com/destinations/chicago/D31548.html. Retrieved 2007-08-02. 

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Streets and highways of Chicago — treet layoutChicago s streets primarily follow the grid system established by the Chicago Board of Aldermen in 1908 and implemented on September 1, 1909. All addresses are numbered outward from baselines at State Street, which runs north and… …   Wikipedia

  • Chicago Avenue — For other uses, see Chicago Avenue (disambiguation). Chicago Avenue 800 North Length: 12.2 mi[1] (19.6 km) West end: 17th Avenue in Melrose Park …   Wikipedia

  • Roads and freeways in Chicago — summarizes the main thoroughfares and the numbering system used in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. Night view of the Chicago Skyway tollbooths at the entrance to the Chicago southbound city limits Contents …   Wikipedia

  • Columbus Drive (Chicago) — Columbus Drive 254 East Location: Chicago 20 …   Wikipedia

  • Milwaukee Avenue (Chicago) — Milwaukee Avenue Location: Chicago From: Intersection of Desplaines Street and Kinzie Street, Chicago To: Skokie Highway (U.S. Route 41) …   Wikipedia

  • Michigan Avenue (Chicago) — Michigan Avenue 100 East South end: 12628 South North end: 950 North Michigan Avenue is a major north south street in Chicago which runs at 100 east (except for one private block that runs at 125 east) south of the Chicago River and at… …   Wikipedia

  • Pulaski Road (Chicago) — Pulaski Road Crawford Avenue, 4000 West South end: Lincoln Highway (21100 S) in Matteson North end: Wilmette Avenue in Wilmette Pulaski Road is a major north south thoroughfare in the city of Chicago, at 4000 W., or exactly five miles… …   Wikipedia

  • Oak Street (Chicago) — Oak Street 1000 North Location: Chicago From: 134 East To: 648 West Oak Street is a short street on Chicago s Gold Coast at 1000 North in Chicago s street numbering system, running from 138 east to 648 west …   Wikipedia

  • Clark Street (Chicago) — Clark Street 100 West in the Loop North end: Howard Street (7600 N) South end: Cermak Road (2200 S) Clark Street is a north south street in Chicago, Illinois that runs close to the shore of Lake Michigan from the northern city boundary… …   Wikipedia

  • Division Street (Chicago) — Division Street redirects here. For other uses, see Division Street (disambiguation). Division Street 1200 North Location: Chicago East end: Lake Shore Drive (100 E) in Chicago West end: Thatcher Avenue (8000 W) in …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”