River West residents worry about complicated traffic patterns as a new casino will call the area home
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Neighbors in Chicago's River West are concerned about the impact a possible casino could have on their ability to get around.
The neighborhood was already slated for an overhaul of roads bridges and bike paths later this year. CBS 2's Chris Tye reports, the e proposed casino project could change the timeline.
It's one of the most complicated chunks of Chicago transportation. There are waterways, railways, roadways, and soon, a possible, massive gambling complex.
That'll make the future of travel in the area quite complex. Traveling east on Chicago Avenue through Halsted Street, on the right there is where the casino may end up. On an upcoming bridge, opposing traffic slides to just one lane.
That entire trip is on a bridge, underneath which are train cars. And the bridges are very old.
"It's a very complex piece of urbanity here. It is."
John Bosca and the Neighbors of River West group have been waiting for this heavily traveled chunk of Chicago to be overhauled.
"What we've been told is that there's going to going to be a new bridge, new structure at Chicago and Halsted."
A new bridge means an entire new fly-over bridge that makes up all of the roadway that flies over the trains below, as well as a new bridge over the river at Chicago Avenue.
"We would begin to see construction of that what, what that looks like right now, exactly we don't know. But it's supposed to get started."
But when we asked Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) whether the casino plans might alter, change or scrap those plans? CDOT did not respond.
"It's all about traffic, traffic, traffic," Bosca said.
And a casino in the area in four years would change the traffic flow immeasurably. While it's a curveball for a traffic renovation project needed and wanted, Bosca hopes the momentum from casino talk gets their facelift over the finish line.
"We have to take the momentum with what's coming," Bosca said.
There's also big traffic concerns related to the temporary casino site in River North. Lack of parking and ability to absorb tour buses in an already congested part of the city.
It's a topic addressed by Chicago City Council Tuesday a topic with very few answers provided by Bally's or the Mayor Lori Lightfoot's team pushing Bally's.