CHICAGO | General Developments - Page 773

Nowhereman1280 · #**15441** Posted **Apr 16, 2012, 2:09 PM**

^^^ I dunno, but Milwaukee needs a complete rebuild from Downtown to at least Irving Park. You can tell the whole thing has major structural issues rearing their heads when you can't drive a block or two without finding a segment of the road that is sunken and partially caved in. It doesn't help that People's Gas just shredded half the street starting at like Western and going up to Belmont. There are all sorts of patches and pot holes in it along that stretch and it's going to get ten times worse after another winter. It's at that point where you can just see the tar dissolving and the asphault turning to gravel.

Anyone have any idea how long it will be until Milwaukee in Bucktown, Logan Square, and Avondale gets a complete rebuild along the lines of what they've done along Milwaukee between Jefferson Park and Irving Park Road?

ChiPhi · #**15442** Posted **Apr 16, 2012, 2:27 PM**

Eamnuel hopes to relax the landmark status of Wrigley field to allow for more sponsors. Hopefully this will be better done than the bank of AMerica signs that Blair Kamin threw a hissy fit about.

Here is the article.

aic4ever · #**15443** Posted **Apr 16, 2012, 2:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiPhi

^^^It looks like they are still raising the money...

Here is a pic of the plan (looks like they essentially want to encase the whole building in glass- its very cool). I'm not sure who did the design, but the pic is from this article.

Also, here is a flickr of the building in 2009.

Also, this seems really great. If this gets the funding to be built, I hope it gets enough national attention to become a tourist spot that will bring out-of-towners into neighborhoods... though I wouldn't exactly call University village a "neighborhood."

Because when tourists think "Chicago," they think of our glorious history of public housing!

Via Chicago · #**15444** Posted **Apr 16, 2012, 2:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by aic4ever

Because when tourists think "Chicago," they think of our glorious history of public housing!

History dosent exist to glorify, its there to tell a story. Im not sure I'm entirely comfortable with the premise either, especially since the ink is still fresh from this recent chapter and many of the urban poor have merely been reshuffled...we haven't solved these problems. But there are plenty of museums that exist to highlight unpopular or uncomfortable periods in our past.

Via Chicago · #**15445** Posted **Apr 16, 2012, 3:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiPhi

Eamnuel hopes to relax the landmark status of Wrigley field to allow for more sponsors.

Well, good to see how much teeth those policies have

Nowhereman1280 · #**15446** Posted **Apr 16, 2012, 3:02 PM**

^^^ Hey, I know a lot of people who are into sociology and social history. Chicago is THE capital of those issues as it's really the first place where those issues arose and were sorted out (obviously due to the tense, chaotic, nature of boom-town Chicago). So I can see a certain type of tourist who comes here interested in social history who wants to check out Hull House and similar historic sites.

Now that we've removed the projects, I'm not sure it's something we should be ashamed of as a city any longer. After all, sorting through these social issues (Race Riots, Haymarket, Other Labor Unrest, Hull House, Sociology at U of C, Projects, Segregation, Lincoln, Obama, etc.) is a huge part of our identity and history as a city. To be honest I think we need to be proud of and aware of this past because it is fairly unieque and we've come a LONG way in how we handle such issues.

I can totally see a Public Housing Museum being a medium sized draw especially considering the other similar social-issue attractions Chicago has as a city. I think they just need to make sure they do it right. I has to be more than just some pictures and a model of a typical unit from the projects.

ChiPhi · #**15447** Posted **Apr 16, 2012, 3:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by aic4ever

Because when tourists think "Chicago," they think of our glorious history of public housing!

I think that any history at all, including the negative, can be a boon for the city economically. Look at capone tours. Obviously a public housing museum would bring in a more intellectual crow (even better in my opinion) and I second what Nowhereman says, Chicago has a unique social history and hopefully this museum would bring attention to that. Maybe it will cover the attempts of Atrium Village to create a truly diverse neighborhood as well. Much like the holocaust museums and monuments spread across Germany (or in DC or Skokie for that matter), these kinds of things bring tourists, just with a different intent (maybe spending pattern) than those who go to Michigan Ave and Navy Pier.

*I'm not claiming that public housing was the same as the Holocaust or that Germany has holocaust memorials to garner tourist dollars, but merely pointing out that people do visit somber places while out of town.*

lawfin · #**15448** Posted **Apr 16, 2012, 6:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by aic4ever

Because when tourists think "Chicago," they think of our glorious history of public housing!

Yeah I wonder if they'll have ambient background music of the terrible cacophony of gunfire and police and fire sirens; the sound could cycle through the different siren styles and common weapons of the respective eras.

ChiPhi · #**15449** Posted **Apr 16, 2012, 6:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lawfin

Yeah I wonder if they'll have ambient background music of the terrible cacophony of gunfire and police and fire sirens; the sound could cycle through the different siren styles and common weapons of the respective eras.

The point of this museum isn't to glorify the public housing of Chicago (or the nation or world) but to examine the goals and failures of the system. They may very well choose to play a soundtrack of this to mimic the life of people in the projects...

Baronvonellis · #**15450** Posted **Apr 16, 2012, 7:57 PM**

The city currently has a long term plan to rebuild Milwaukee Ave starting from the north and working south from Jefferson Park to Grand. This year its rebuilding Milwaukee Ave from Irving Park to Addison. It's rebuilding about one mile a year so it will eventually get down to wicker park in 3-4 years. Next year is Addison to Belmont, and then Belmont to Fullerton in 2014.

Here's an interesting plan of how to redesign Logan Square to make it more pedestrian friendly when Milwaukee is being rebuilt in that area in 2 years. Milwaukee through the square could be only open for bikes and buses.

http://gridchicago.com/2012/neighbor...-free-for-all/

Nowhereman1280 · #**15451** Posted **Apr 16, 2012, 8:13 PM**

^^^ While it's good that they are planning on doing it soon, I don't know that the strip by my house (Diversey to Belmont) is going to make it another two winters. It's already approaching "un bikeable" in some spots and that's bad considering there is a ton of bike traffic in the area. Granted it's not as horrible as the section just south of Irving Park is. I'm afraid my car is going to bottom out in some of the horrible dips in that road.

Steely Dan · #**15452** Posted **Apr 16, 2012, 8:40 PM**

^ as bad as those two stretches are (ie. not really that bad by city wide standards) nothing came close to the absolutely wretched condition of milwaukee between irving and montrose before they resurfaced it last year. whatever was left of miwlaukee avenue on the stretch couldn't even really be called pavement. thank god they addressed the worst part of the entire street first.

ardecila · #**15453** Posted **Apr 16, 2012, 8:48 PM**

I believe they will simply be sandblasting and repainting the Wells bridge, and replacing any plates that have corroded. This is typically how rehab is done on steel bridges, and I doubt they would ever replace the Wells bridge... it doesn't have capacity or safety issues.

The Milwaukee/Grand/Lake projects are, I believe, resurfacings + streetscaping.

k1052 · #**15454** Posted **Apr 16, 2012, 9:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardecila

I believe they will simply be sandblasting and repainting the Wells bridge, and replacing any plates that have corroded. This is typically how rehab is done on steel bridges, and I doubt they would ever replace the Wells bridge... it doesn't have capacity or safety issues.

The Milwaukee/Grand/Lake projects are, I believe, resurfacings + streetscaping.

I think they do mean eventual replacement for the Wells St. bridge. Current sufficiency rating is 19 with significant structural deterioration, the lowest of any main branch bridge downtown and half what the Lake St. road/rail bridge is.

The other projects listed with it have to be replacements as well due to their poor condition. The Chicago ave bridge already wasn't in great shape and has been getting the crap pounded out of it because of the Halsted replacement/renovation.

Nowhereman1280 · #**15455** Posted **Apr 16, 2012, 10:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

^ as bad as those two stretches are (ie. not really that bad by city wide standards) nothing came close to the absolutely wretched condition of milwaukee between irving and montrose before they resurfaced it last year. whatever was left of miwlaukee avenue on the stretch couldn't even really be called pavement. thank god they addressed the worst part of the entire street first.

True, I think they are probably doing it in the right order as far as condition goes, I just think the segment between Irving and Addison should be lower priority because it's pretty much an industrial wasteland and, even in the terrible condition that it is in, it is a racetrack. If anything allowing it to deteriorate might make it safer by forcing people to slow down. I think the more populous, higher traffic, areas to the South should get priority. Of course I'm biased to get more improvements in my area (Milwaukee between Fullerton and Belmont is going to be 10x more pleasant once they get to it), but frankly I just hate that hell hole of a street to the North of me.

ardecila · #**15456** Posted **Apr 17, 2012, 1:23 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by k1052

I think they do mean eventual replacement for the Wells St. bridge. Current sufficiency rating is 19 with significant structural deterioration, the lowest of any main branch bridge downtown and half what the Lake St. road/rail bridge is.

Not according to the ChicagoLoopBridges site, courtesy of our city's resident bridge fanatics. Apparently this project is pretty far along.

The rehab is estimated to begin this fall; the city has an RFP out for the engineering.

Quote:

Rehabilitate bridge trusses with selective replacements and/or repairs
Replace floorbeams and gusset connection plates
Replace bottom chord.
Replace bracing.
Replace roadway stringers to support new grating, evaluate the use of concrete-filled on the movable spans and elimination of jack beams
Current non-original railing to be replaced with a historic replica railing.
etc.

It would be great to eventually get a signature modern bridge downtown... but it will probably be the pedestrian bridge at McClurg. There are also new bridges planned for Taylor and Polk, which are also opportunities for high-end design. All of those bridges need to be moveable.

Rizzo · #**15457** Posted **Apr 17, 2012, 2:56 AM**

It just sounds like a serious overhaul, but the bridge would look the same when complete.

The Columbus street bridge needs work. And all bridges should have concrete decks IMO.....like the Wabash street bridge

k1052 · #**15458** Posted **Apr 17, 2012, 1:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardecila

Not according to the ChicagoLoopBridges site, courtesy of our city's resident bridge fanatics. Apparently this project is pretty far along.

The rehab is estimated to begin this fall; the city has an RFP out for the engineering.

It would be great to eventually get a signature modern bridge downtown... but it will probably be the pedestrian bridge at McClurg. There are also new bridges planned for Taylor and Polk, which are also opportunities for high-end design. All of those bridges need to be moveable.

That's a lot more than the usual sandblasting + new coat of paint/patch repairs. A lot of that work is going to require substantial closure time and line cuts to the Brown/Purple lines.

ardecila · #**15459** Posted **Apr 17, 2012, 4:50 PM**

Yes... Fortunately there are convenient cross-platform transfers at Fullerton. I doubt CTA will agree to any weekday line cuts, which gives the city less time to work - that's probably why the timetable has ballooned from 12 months (at ChicagoLoopBridges) to 18 months (in the city's RFP).

It would be nice if CTA used their track renewal project to put in a crossover north of Merchandise Mart so they could terminate trains there during line cuts. It's right on the edge of downtown, and I'm betting a lot of people would rather walk from Merchandise Mart than wait on an uncertain transfer at Fullerton.

k1052 · #**15460** Posted **Apr 17, 2012, 5:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardecila

Yes... Fortunately there are convenient cross-platform transfers at Fullerton. I doubt CTA will agree to any weekday line cuts, which gives the city less time to work - that's probably why the timetable has ballooned from 12 months (at ChicagoLoopBridges) to 18 months (in the city's RFP).

It would be nice if CTA used their track renewal project to put in a crossover north of Merchandise Mart so they could terminate trains there during line cuts. It's right on the edge of downtown, and I'm betting a lot of people would rather walk from Merchandise Mart than wait on an uncertain transfer at Fullerton.

I think crossovers already exist between Merchandise Mart and Chicago that would enable terminal operation at MM.