North-South Wacker Viaduct Reconstruction and Congress Parkway Interchange Improvement Program Management

The Lochner team provided program management services for the reconstruction of the North-South Wacker Drive Viaduct, a two-level urban facility through the heart of Chicago’s central business district, from Randolph Street to Congress Parkway, including the Congress Parkway interchange with I-290. Both levels of Wacker Drive were rebuilt, with a construction value of $300 million, to improve mobility and safety on the corridor.

This section of Wacker Drive was originally constructed in 1955. The average daily traffic on the corridor is in excess of 60,000, and pedestrian traffic across and along Wacker Drive exceeds 80,000. The project occurred over three years, under phased construction that included ramp closures in one- to two-block sections.

The reconstruction included the removal and replacement of the structurally deficient and obsolete cast-in-place two-level concrete viaduct with a new post-tensioned viaduct with a more efficient cross section. This new superstructure provided increased vertical clearance and improved roadway geometry on the upper and lower levels. The improvements also included new medians; improved lighting; architectural enhancements; traffic signals; new entrance and exit ramps between the upper and lower levels; the replacement of all building entrances on the upper and lower levels; the replacement of all utilities throughout the project, including water, sanitary sewer, telecom, drainage, and power; and the separation of the adjacent office building service drives from the through lanes on Lower Wacker Drive. On the Congress Parkway interchange portion of the project, ramps were modified or removed for traffic and safety improvements, which created 3 acres of green space, accessible to the public.

Lochner’s program management team was responsible for overall project oversight, including schedule conformance, quality assurance and management, shop drawing submittal review, the resolution of contractor requests for information, pay requests, traffic control management, and project budget management. In addition, the team provided a detailed and comprehensive community outreach and public involvement program that involved coordination with the City of Chicago, the Illinois Department of Transportation, FHWA, the Chicago Chamber of Commerce, and all the affected office buildings in this dense urban setting.