Closures to begin on Lake Shore Drive for Navy Pier Flyover work

The Lake Shore Drive on-ramp at Grand Avenue will be closed Wednesday and one day next week for concrete work on the north retaining walls of the Navy Pier Flyover project.

Closures will begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday and reopen by 4 p.m. to allow access to rush hour commuters, according to a statement from the Chicago Department of Transportation. The ramp will close again between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 22.

If weather does not permit, the closure dates will be rescheduled for Thursday, Mar. 17 and Wednesday, Mar. 23, according to CDOT.

Detour routes will be westbound Grand to southbound Columbus to eastbound Wacker to northbound Lake Shore Drive, according to CDOT.

The 1.5 mile, $60 million project is aimed at eliminating a notorious bottleneck along the lakefront path near Navy Pier that has created a dangerous free-for-all between cyclists, joggers, skaters, pedestrians and motorists, according to CDOT. The dedicated bike and pedestrian path will be 16 feet wide and extend from Jane Addams Park to just south of the Chicago River bridge.

It will offer a safe and scenic alternative to a confusing and dangerous stretch of the 18.5-mile lakefront trail that features blind corners, narrow rights-of-way and traffic conflicts that choke the trail and create a hazardous experience for pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles.