Post-big winds, Loop streets reopen, Green, Pink Line L resume, power returning

Streets in the Loop have been reopened, and the CTA resumed L service on the Pink Line and Green Line Saturday afternoon after gusts of more than 60 miles an hour blew through Chicago on Friday.

At its peak, gusts of 62 miles an hour were recorded at O’Hare Airport on Friday, with 61 mile-an-hour gusts reported at Midway Airport, according to the National Weather Service.

The heavy winds damaged trees, buildings and power lines, leaving more than 258,000 Commonwealth Edison customers in Cook, Lake, Will and DuPage counties without power on Friday.

All Loop streets closed Friday due to the winds were reopened Saturday afternoon, according to Melissa Stratton, spokeswoman for the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

But State Street remained closed from Cullerton to 21st Street because of debris from a building under construction at 2001 S. State St.

The CTA stopped running Green Line trains between Ashland and Lake and Clark and Lake after a utility pole landed on the tracks Friday afternoon. Track debris also halted the Pink Line between Polk and the Loop.

The wind knocked out power for more than 238,000 Commonwealth Edison customers Friday. Fewer than 1,000 in Cook County remained without power Saturday night, according to a ComEd spokesman, Alejandro Bodipo, who said all power should be restored by noon Sunday.

More than 500 crews worked to restore power to affected customers in Cook, Lake, Will and DuPage counties in an “all hands on deck” effort, including more than 70 crews from downstate, Bodipo said.Remaining outages can be tracked online via an interactive map provided by ComEd. People can call 1-800-EDISON-1 or text “OUT” to 26633 to report outages.