It’s a common refrain in the Midwest that there are two seasons: Winter, and Construction. But that’s not true in Chicago, where Construction Season is every season. It just. Never. Stops.
Such are the perils of Paris on the Prairie, which you will witness first-hand if you use Lower North Lake Shore Drive.
The Navy Pier Flyover enters its third phase of construction this month, bringing traffic lane restrictions for commuters, shifted sidewalks for ped- and pedal-powered people, and more noise than a Highland Park Smashing Pumpkins tribute band.
When Jack and his hammers are done, there will be a lovely new path from Grand Park to Jane Addams Park, with “modal separation,” which how traffic engineers say, “Power walkers won’t have to worry about getting a Cannondale up their bum.”
The essential question is, “When will it be done?” The timeline of this project has slipped so many times that we don’t even bother guessing anymore, so we’ll give you the answer your grandmother gave you when you pestered her about the smell of chocolate chip cookies infiltrating her sitting room: It’ll be ready when it’s ready.
