Chicago Area Residents & Business owners opposed to Circle interchange flyover ramp

Chicago's West Loop and Greektown Neighborhood is home to families and businesses, who enjoy a dynamic and rapidly growing urban environment. The West Loop is one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in Chicago. It is home to thriving restaurants, shops, galleries, and spacious residential lofts.

The West Loop is a vibrant community with major interstate highways to the east and south of us. Walking south down Halsted from Greektown, you might not even notice the thousands of cars passing by just yards away, down below on the Eisenhower expressway.

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has proposed the construction of a major “flyover”, or overpass, to be built over Halsted Street and I-290... connecting the northbound Kennedy to the westbound Eisenhower. It’s part of IDOT’s massive 4.5-year-long project to rebuild the Circle Interchange and rebuild the aging street bridges.

This proposed flyover ramp will feature two 12’ lanes and two 10’ shoulders, plus, the necessary guardrails and infrastructure required to handle 40,000 cars a day. It will be massive.

We oppose the inclusion of the flyover ramp for a variety of reasons. This flyover ramp will negatively impact West Loop and Greektown business owners, Halsted Street pedestrians, CTA Blue Line commuters, property owners, and residents. Aside from the 4.5-year construction timeline, the result will be an eyesore that not only separates the West Loop and Greektown neighborhoods from our neighbors to the south, like UIC; it will become a dark and dangerous blight to a thriving neighborhood.
Noise
Traffic noise will increase because the bypass ramp will come over the top of Halsted Street (just south of Van Buren) instead of going under the road. Noise increases when traffic is doubled (two lanes instead of one lane), there is a steep slope, and speed is increased. Flyover roads also broadcast noise over greater distances.
Dirt/Pollution
Building the ramp over Halsted Street will increase the amount of dirt and particulate pollutants (from diesel fuel combustion, materials produced by tire, brake and road wear, and dust) that will accumulate on the sidewalks and street in the immediate area. Overpass structures create a darker and dirtier environment for pedestrians. This ramp will also be located outside the Halsted Street Blue Line station where people need to wait for buses and enter/exit the station.
Safety/Walk Ability
Overpass structures create a darker and dirtier environment. Threatening to pedestrians. This ramp will also be located outside the Halsted Street Blue Line station where people need to wait for buses and enter/exit the station.
Separation of communities
The flyover structure will be located at the south end of Greektown and creates a separation from the UIC neighborhood. It will greatly impact the restaurants and businesses that are currently thriving in a resurgent Greektown.