WRIGLEYVILLE — Expect blocked traffic lanes and potential closures along Clark and Addison streets Monday as the Chicago Cubs return to Wrigley Field for the 2017 home opener.
While officials have shrugged off the Cubs' requests to close the two major thoroughfares that intersect outside Wrigley Field's main gate, the streets may be closed Monday at the discretion of police and the Office of Emergency Management and Communications, according to Ald. Tom Tunney (44th).
There will also be traffic "slowdowns" in the area to regulate the traffic coming into Wrigleyville Monday, Tunney said in his weekly newsletter.
Police could close Addison from Racine to Halsted and Clark from Newport to Grace ahead of the home opener, which is set to begin at 7:05 p.m. Gates will open at least two hours prior to the game.
Tunney said anyone traveling in the area Monday evening should be ready to present identification to law enforcement or traffic management upon request.
Parking restrictions begin noon Monday and last until midnight. Parking is prohibited on:
• Addison from Racine to Fremont
• Clark from Newport to Irving Park
• Patterson from Clark to Racine
• Eddy from Clark to the first west alley
• Cornelia from Clark to the first west alley
Any vehicles remaining on the restricted streets will be towed. Parking will be prohibited for all night games on the north side of Addison from Clark to Ashland from 4 p.m. until 11:30 p.m. and the north side of Eddy from Racine to the Brown Lot entrance starting two hours before the game and ending one hour after.
It will also be the first time parking meters around Wrigleyville will double rates as part of a "surge" pricing pilot program.
For Monday's home opener, the surge pricing will take effect at 5 p.m. The higher rates will be enforced around two hours before a Cubs game, Wrigley Field concert or other special events at the stadium and last up to seven hours.
The affected streets are between Belmont and Irving Park and Southport and Broadway.
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The Cubs and Wrigley Field are 95 percent owned by an entity controlled by a trust established for the benefit of the family of Joe Ricketts, owner and CEO of DNAinfo.com. Joe Ricketts has no direct involvement in the management of the iconic team.
