Wacker Drive
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| Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:InfoboxImage/data' not found. Upper Wacker Drive, looking west from Michigan Avenue | |
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| Native name | Template:Native name checker |
|---|---|
| Former nameTemplate:Pluralize from text | Market Street South Water Street River Street |
| Length | Script error: No such module "ConvertIB".[1] |
| South end | Upper Wacker: Franklin Street/Harrison Street intersection (360 west at 424 south) Lower Wacker: Ida B. Wells Drive near Wells Street (220 west at 400 south) |
| East end | Template:Jct (340 north at 400 east) |
| Construction | |
| Inauguration | 1926 |
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Wacker Drive is a multilevel street in Chicago, Illinois, running along the south bank of the main branch and the east bank of the south branch of the Chicago River through the Chicago Loop.[2] Much of the roadway is double-decked: the upper level carries regular vehicular traffic, while Lower Wacker Drive accommodates service vehicles, including delivery trucks, waste collection, and utility access.
Because the street follows the curved course of the Chicago River, Lower Wacker Drive is the only roadway in the city that carries both north–south and east–west address designations.[a] In certain sections there is a third level, sometimes referred to as Lower Lower Wacker Drive or Sub-Lower Wacker Drive. This level is primarily used for vehicle towing and impound operations, utility infrastructure, and railroad maintenance access.
Wacker Drive is named for early 20th-century Chicago businessman and city planner Charles H. Wacker.
History
In 1909, architects Daniel Burnham and Edward H. Bennett drew up a plan for the Commercial Club of Chicago to unify the city's urban design and increase its physical beautification. The improvement of traffic flow in Chicago was a major part of the plan. Among its many recommendations was a double-decked roadway along the river, intended to relieve the congestion at River Street and Rush Street, where 50% of the city's north–south traffic crossed the Chicago River. Charles H. Wacker, chairman of the Chicago Plan Commission, pushed the idea.
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The original double-decker road, replacing South Water and River Streets, was completed in 1926 at a cost of $8 million and named after Charles Wacker. The 1926 section stretched from Lake Street to Michigan Avenue, the latter of which was also rebuilt into a two-level road.
An extension south to Congress Parkway and Harrison Street was built between 1948 and 1954, replacing Market Street (after the Market Street stub of the Lake Street Elevated was removed).[3] Extensions east were built in 1963 and 1975, with the latter taking it to Lake Shore Drive, and a new lower level starting at Stetson Avenue. At the time, Lake Shore Drive had an S-curve at the river, running where Wacker now goes between Field Boulevard and current Lake Shore Drive. This S-curve was on a viaduct over the Illinois Central Railroad's rail yard, and was at the level of Upper Wacker; the middle and lower levels dead-ended at that point. The current alignment of Lake Shore Drive was finished in 1986, and in 1987 Middle Wacker was extended to meet the new alignment. The ramps to bring upper traffic down had already been built; upper has been dead-ended where it used to end at Lake Shore Drive.
In 2001–2002, Wacker Drive was redesigned and reconstructed between Michigan Avenue and Lake Street. The original upper deck was crumbling, and the entire roadway did not meet modern standards for road widths and clearances. Using a specially developed post-tensioned, reinforced, high-performance concrete cast-in-place system, the new road deck was expected to have a lifespan of 75–100 years.[4] Walkways along the river were meant to make the drive more pedestrian-friendly, while restoration of historic limestone elements and reproduction lighting evoked the drive's original 1926 appearance. The 20-month, $200-million project was completed on time and within budget.[5]
In spring of 2010, work commenced on rebuilding the north–south section of Wacker, from Randolph Street to Congress Parkway, including the upper and lower levels. This is a continuation of the Revive Wacker Drive project started in 2001.
Wacker is the only street to intersect both State Street (the east–west center line) and Madison Street (the north–south center line), although Lake Shore Drive and LaSalle Street/Drive[6] also each cross both dividing lines.
In April 2014, The American Council of Engineering Companies awarded the Wacker Drive and Congress Parkway Reconstruction project its Grand Conceptor Award. The project team was led by TranSystems and included roadway, bridge and tunnel improvement work. The project involved complex staging to keep 135,000 vehicles and 150,000 pedestrians moving through the construction zone each day.[7]
Intersections
The following streets intersect Upper Wacker Drive, from south to north and west to east. Most upper-level streets that end at Wacker Drive, with only right turns allowed, are not included.
The entire route is in [[Chicago, Template:Jct/statename|Chicago]], [[Cook County, Template:Jct/statename|Cook County]].
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| mi[8] | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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The following streets intersect Lower Wacker Drive, from south to north and west to east.
The entire route is in [[Chicago, Template:Jct/statename|Chicago]], [[Cook County, Template:Jct/statename|Cook County]].
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| mi[9] | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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In popular media
- The 1980 film The Blues Brothers used Wacker Drive as a setting.[10]
- The car chase scene in The Dark Knight (2008) was filmed on Lower Wacker Drive.[11]
- The music video for "Burnin'Template:Thinsp" pays tribute to Chicago house producers that Daft Punk found inspiration in.[12]
Gallery
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See also
- Multilevel streets in Chicago
- Philo Carpenter
- Buildings on Wacker Drive
Explanatory notes
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- ^ The western portion of the street is called North Wacker Drive and South Wacker Drive, while the northern portion is called West Wacker Drive and East Wacker Drive.
References
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- ^ Google Maps estimate.
- ^ Hayner, Don and Tom McNamee, Streetwise Chicago, "Wacker Drive", p. 129., Loyola University Press, 1988, Template:ISBN
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Garfield, Graham. "Market Terminal". Chicago-L.org. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Reviving a Landmark". Roads and Bridges. October 2001. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Revive Wacker Drive project". 2003. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
- ^ LaSalle Street is principally a north-south roadway. North of North Avenue however, LaSalle Drive runs generally east-west, intersecting with Clark Street, Stockton Drive, and Lake Shore Drive. Dearborn Parkway, State Parkway, and Astor Street do not exist north of North Avenue; LaSalle Drive crosses State Street/Parkway's 0-E/W meridian while transiting the southern edge of Lincoln Park.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."TranSystems - TranSystems' Wacker Drive Reconstruction Wins Top Honor from ACEC".
- ^ name=google_maps
- ^ name=google_maps
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Blues Brothers - Chicago Filming Locations". Locations in the Blues Brothers. Archived from the original on May 24, 2008. Retrieved December 16, 2008.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."'THE DARK KNIGHT'". Chicago Tribune. August 3, 2008. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Daft Punk - Burnin' (Official Video)". Vimeo. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
External links
- Page Template:Sister-inline/styles.css has no content.Script error: No such module "Sister project logo". Media related to Script error: No such module "Commons link". at Wikimedia Commons
- Official City of Chicago Loop Community Map
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