ChiTown Traffic Tattler

Just three words can strike fear into hearts of most any North Side motorist that heads southbound for any distance: Lake Shore Drive Reconstruction.

And after seven years of major reconstruction projects that bettered lives for commuters on the Edens Expressway, Tri State Tollway, Reagan Tollway, Dan Ryan Expressway, Bishop Ford Freeway, Borman Expressway and Eisenhower Expressway, just one major thoroughfare remains: The Drive.

According to the Tribune’s Jon Hilkevitch, LSD’s time is coming:

“North Lake Shore Drive, which was resurfaced last year between Irving Park Road and Belmont Avenue, desperately needs a full-scale overhaul, starting with replacing pavement that has deteriorated down to the base, officials said.”

In Hilkevitch’s report Monday, Chicago Department of Transportation officials have begin to interview consultants who would lead North Lake Shore Drive reconstruction efforts, which would reshape the iconic highway between Hollywood Avenue to Grand Avenue — about seven miles.

On average, more than 100,000 vehicles travel along North Lake Shore Drive at some stretches, and any reconstruction effort would put a stranglehold on the commuting patterns of many more.

The bright side of any reconstruction project is that long-standing inefficiencies along North Lake Shore Drive could be remedied, such as standing water that pools in the inner lanes between Fullerton and Belmont, the northbound backups at the Belmont Interchange, the S-curve at Oak Street Beach and the intersection at Chicago Avenue.

Commuters can take solace in the fact that the reconstruction project is still a few years off.

CDOT officials told Hilkevitch it could take a year before consultants are hired, and up to two after that before the first phase of engineering is completed. Then there is the money.

“The city has identified up to $15 million in funding for the preliminary engineering, but money has not been secured for final engineering or construction.”

For the heck of it, “Lakeshore Drive in Three Minutes”: