Chicago drivers worry about concrete falling onto DuSable Lake Shore Drive
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chunks of concrete lay on the ground after falling from the wall above, from the edge of DuSable Lake Shore Drive to Randolph Street.
Falling concrete closed a street under DuSable Lake Shore Drive on Thursday and it's not the first time CBS 2 cameras caught this problem.
Police worried the situation could get worse prompting them to close down a section of Randolph earlier. They wrapped yellow tape around fallen debris just moments after one of their officers spotted the problem.
"Things are gonna break loose. So it doesn't surprise me at all."
Civil engineer Mae Whiteside Williams, CEO and Founder of CKL Engineers, LLC. said the recent weather is to blame.
"Now that you finally get into these warm temperatures, you are going to find a phenomenon called concrete spalling due to the freeze-thaw cycle," Williams said.
Williams added that if people see broken cement on the ground, to give it some space, because it's unclear when more could fall.
It's not the first time it's happened in the area. Just yards away in October 2019 CBS 2 was there as pieces of concrete fell directly into the path of oncoming cars.
Williams said it's the same process that creates potholes and should be a fairly easy fix, until the next major temperature swing.
"No matter how great the construction method, initially, you are going to have these situations where the exposure to the weather elements is going to cause things to happen to materials and concrete is not immune to it," Williams said.
She said it's likely we'll see more of this popping up. The city's inspectors should be out on routine inspections.
If drivers or pedestrians see something, they should call 311.
