For first time, police ban large trucks on Michigan Avenue during Lollapalooza

For the first time, Chicago police are closing off Michigan Avenue to trucks larger than cargo vans during the upcoming Lollapalooza music festival in Grant Park.

Following plans by the Office of Emergency Management and Communications to boost security measures for the festival this year in the wake of the Las Vegas concert shooting last year, OEMC First Deputy Rich Guidice said the restriction is just an “extra layer” of protection.

The CPD announced on Twitter Tuesday that no truck “larger than a Cargo Van” would be allowed on Michigan Avenue between Randolph Street and Roosevelt Road from 1:30 p.m to midnight daily Aug. 2-5.

Guidice said while it was always a measure that OEMC had on the books for the festival, this is the first year this truck restriction has been put in place during Lollapalooza. He added it’s similar to a security procedure in effect around Wrigley Field during every Cubs game.

In the past, trucks have been used in terrorist attacks on large gatherings of people. Eight people were killed and 12 were injured when a terrorist drove a pickup truck down a bike path in New York City in 2017. A terrorist plowed a 20-ton truck through a Bastille Day celebration in Nice, France in 2016, killing 84 and injuring hundreds more.

Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy for the Central District couldn’t be reached for comment, but the tweet urges truckers to plan accordingly.

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