Lake Shore Drive is one of the most famous streets in Chicago. With the skyline on one side and Lake Michigan on the other, it provides a nice snapshot of what the city has to offer. What it also provides, however, is traffic congestion and accidents.
A radical new proposal wants to not only rectify some of the issues associated with Lake Shore Drive, but also improve on some of the things that already make it such a popular area in Chicago.
According to Curbed Chicago, the proposal would straighten out Lake Shore Drive’s narrow and dangerous Oak Street S-bend and then bury it in what would become brand new public green space. 70 acres of brand new green space, in fact, that would provide new parkland, beaches, trails, and a breakwater island. These improvements would buffer the roadway from the crashing waves that can prove quite abusive in the winter months and also fix the Chicago Avenue bottleneck by removing traffic signals. New interchange ramps would also be added to improve traffic flow.
As is to be expected, these changes come at a cost, and quite a large cost at that. It is estimated the project would have a price tag as high as $500 million and require the cooperation of multiple locale, state, and federal entities to complete. If everything moves along smoothly, without any hiccups, the earliest this project would start is 2020, with a completion date many years later.
Even with the cost and time issues, the proposal is still seen as providing more good than harm to an area of the city that could use a makeover. 2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins is one of the city’s biggest proponents of the plan and has spoken numerous times of its benefits to try and get it pushed through. As part of his efforts, he used renderings that were created in the summer of 2016 by VOA Associates, which has since become a part of Stantec. You can view some of those renderings below.
Rendering courtesy of the Office of Brian Hopkins.
Rendering courtesy of the Office of Brian Hopkins.
Rendering courtesy of the Office of Brian Hopkins.
Rendering courtesy of the Office of Brian Hopkins.
Rendering courtesy of the Office of Brian Hopkins.
Related Stories
| Jun 19, 2014
First Look: 10 Design unveils new luxury apartments plan in Dubai
The Seventh Heaven complex features a stepped form that will offer stunning views of the Dubai skyline.
| Jun 19, 2014
Singapore's 'Tree House' vertical gardens break Guinness World Record
The high-rise development will have a 24,638-sf vertical garden, breaking a Guinness World Record.
| Jun 18, 2014
Largest Passive House structure in the U.S. to be built in Oregon
Orchards at Orenco, a 57-unit affordable housing complex in Hillsboro, Oregon, is the first of a three-phase, three-building complex.
| Jun 12, 2014
SmithGroup finishes 100th LEED-certified project
With the construction of the LEED-NC Platinum Oakland University Human Health Building, constructed in Rochester, Michigan, SmithGroupJJR recently achieved its 100th LEED certified project.
| Jun 11, 2014
David Adjaye’s housing project in Sugar Hill nears completion
A new development in New York's historic Sugar Hill district nears completion, designed to be an icon for the neighborhood's rich history.
| Jun 2, 2014
Parking structures group launches LEED-type program for parking garages
The Green Parking Council, an affiliate of the International Parking Institute, has launched the Green Garage Certification program, the parking industry equivalent of LEED certification.
| May 16, 2014
BoA, USGBC to offer $25,000 grants for green affordable housing projects
The Affordable Green Neighborhoods Grant Program will offer 14 grants to developers of affordable housing in North America who are committed to building sustainable communities through the LEED for Neighborhood Development program.
| May 15, 2014
Paints, coatings, and sealants: 10 new ways to seal the deal
Color-shifting finishes, dry-erase surfaces, and stain-blocking paints are highlighted in this round up of new offerings in paints, coatings, sealants, and finishes.
| May 13, 2014
Drexel University case study report: Green Globes cheaper, faster than LEED
GBI’s Green Globes certification process is significantly less expensive to conduct and faster to complete than LEED certification, says Drexel prof.
| May 12, 2014
10 highest-rated green hotels in the U.S.
The ARIA Sky Suites in Las Vegas and the Lenox Hotel in Boston are among the 10 most popular hotels (according to user reviews) to also achieve Platinum status in TripAdvisor's GreenLeaders program.
