THE LOOP — Eight blocks of State Street through the Loop will be resurfaced in September and early October, requiring sporadic detours and closures stretching from Wacker Drive to Van Buren Street.
Surveying and adjustments will be conducted by the Chicago Department of Transportation starting next week along the city's most famous street, which had its last face-lift in 1997. The goal is to complete resurfacing in time for the Chicago Marathon Oct. 10.
Lizzie Schiffman says not only the noise, but the dust, may cause some headaches:
By Sept. 3 or Sept. 4, overnight grinding and other road work will begin along the street between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. It will last for the entirety of the project and could disturb neighbors. Jim Dillon, general superintendent of Bigane Paving Co., the project's contractor, said his team is "going to try to keep that at a minimum."
Dan Burke, deputy CDOT commissioner, emphasized that the noisiest work, including jackhammering, will be relegated to daytime work hours, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
"It's not that loud an operation," Burke said. The only noise associated with paving would be the "backup alarms of the trucks. I don't think it's going to be overly disruptive."
Lanes will be reduced along State Street during the project, but one lane will be maintained in each direction throughout the process.
"The work will necessarily be disruptive, but with good communication ... we can keep that disruption and inconvenience to a minimum," said Chicago Loop Alliance Chairman Martin Stern at a community meeting Wednesday morning organized by the Downtown business association.
"These aren't quiet suburban streets at any time of the day," Stern said. "It will just be a different noise ... still a little bit less than three 6-year-olds in a room trying to chase each other around."
Aside from noise, Dillon said "It will be dusty down here for the duration of the job.
"I cannot promise you that you won't have dust," Dillon said, though crews will use water while working to reduce it.
In exchange for weathering the repaving process and associated headaches, Stern said "We're going to have a great-looking street that will benefit us for a long time."
State Street businesses planning events that could be affected by construction are encouraged to contact Geoff Roberts of Milhouse Engineering at 312-498-4493. Updates on the construction process will be posted on the Loop alliance's "Resurfacing State" blog page.
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