Downtown street closures begin ahead of Lollapalooza

Street closures around Grant Park have begun as crews set up for Lollapalooza next weekend.

The music festival has added a fourth day this year, drawing thousands of concertgoers downtown from Thursday through Sunday.

Balbo was shut down Thursday between Columbus and Lake Shore Drive and will stay that way until Aug. 4, according to the Office of Emergency Management and Communications. Jackson was also shut down between Columbus and the drive till Aug. 3.

Those closures will extend west to Michigan Avenue starting Tuesday through Aug. 1, city officials said.

Also starting Tuesday, Columbus will be closed between Monroe and Roosevelt, and Congress Parkway — including the Congress Circle — will be closed from Michigan to Columbus. Those stretches will reopen Monday.

Officials urge drivers to consider alternate routes ahead of time, and to take caution with swarms of pedestrians through the weekend.