Chicago's OEMC races to finish street closures for weekend's NASCAR event

CHICAGO (CBS) -- It's the biggest road closure for the upcoming NASCAR race.

Southbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive along Grant Park will close Wednesday night at 8:00. CBS 2's Sara Machi is there to bring you up to speed. 

The area will be barricaded. And even a few hours before the closure, CBS 2 spoke to people who said they forgot all about the event.

A busy mix of acceleration and squealing brake pads. It's a regular weekday along DuSable Lake Shore Drive until you look around.

"We just came here and we were like 'Whoa! What happened?'"

And they noticed the signs of the NASCAR Street Race closing in.

"I heard about it a few weeks ago as people were talking about it right around the Taylor Swift concert. But I had forgotten about it until today," said student Kaeleigh Wilson.

There are already street crews directing traffic around closures which will only increase.

"We have been putting it out for several months. I want to say, since April 10, which street closures we are looking at, reroute, alternative routes," said OEMC acting director Jose Tirado.

Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) joined organizers to talk about their plans for crowd control and safety, with private contractors added into the mix.

"From a private security perspective, we are contracting over 900 individuals consistent with a lot of the other events. And consistent with the department of the city," said NASCAR Chicago Street Race President Julie Giese.

The street closures continue to grow, following the race course around the Loop, through the event and some of the course breakdown continuing past the holiday weekend.

"It's gonna be crazy to be honest," said Marthina Sirindon. 

Most of the closures will roll out after 8:00 p.m. each day until race day. But northbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive closes at 4:00 a.m. Saturday.

City leaders said to plan your trip, look for alternate routes or take the CTA.

In:
• Chicago
• DuSable Lake Shore Drive
• Grant Park
• NASCAR