Phase II Engineering Services for Division Street Widening and Bridge Replacements, Kennedy Expressway (I‐90) to Cleveland Avenue

Division Street from the Kennedy Expressway (I‐90) to Cleveland Avenue is a heavily traveled corridor with bridges that cross over the North Branch of the Chicago River and the North Branch Canal. Both have been deemed structurally deficient and functionally obsolete.

The Chicago Department of Transportation has initiated a project to replace the bridges as well as widen Division Street from two to four lanes with an exclusive left turn lane/variable median. Lochner is the prime consultant and overseeing Phase II engineering and project development. Additionally, Lochner is leading design for the new structure over the North Branch Canal as well as the widening of Division Street.

The existing Division Street bridge over the North Branch of the Chicago River is a single‐span, two‐lane, bascule bridge that will be replaced with a single‐span, five‐lane, tied‐arch bridge. Lochner is overseeing the design of the new structure, which will include a vertical clearance of 19 feet. Because this section of river is a navigable waterway, the new bridge will also have a vertically lifting arch span that could be further elevated should the need arise. The existing bridge over the North Branch Canal is a three‐span, two‐lane, acrow bridge that will be replaced with a single span, five‐lane, fixed thrust arch bridge. Lochner is designing the bridge with a 55‐foot wide, curb‐to‐curb roadway section and sidewalks that will line both sides of the bridge and include ornamental pedestrian cable railings and crashworthy traffic barrier railings. The bridge design also accommodates an under‐bridge riverwalk that will connect to the already established riverwalk system through downtown Chicago.

Lochner is also developing a roadway design for Division Street from Kennedy Expressway to Cleveland Avenue that will improve traffic flow, increase vehicular and pedestrian safety, and enhance the overall environment along the corridor. The roadway will be widened from two to four lanes with an exclusive left turn lane/variable median. To allow for this exclusive lane across Goose Island, Lochner is overseeing the preparation of right of way plans for each side street intersection. Lochner’s design includes ADA‐compliant sidewalks on both sides of Division Street, new curb and gutter, and new street lighting. Modernized traffic signals and intersection safety improvements will be made at all existing signalized intersections within project limits. The intersection of Division Street and Hickory Street will include a new traffic signal, and the Division Street intersections with Elston Avenue and Halsted Street will be reconstructed to accommodate changes to the corridor’s alignment. Lochner is overseeing full topographic and underground utility surveys and designing drainage improvements.

In addition to PS&E, Lochner’s services include supervising geotechnical investigation and reports, value engineering, structural peer review, architectural/aesthetic concept development, permit application, right of way acquisition, and post‐ design support. Lochner is using building information modeling (BIM), parametric 3D models, and 3D renderings. These technologies allow the project team to visualize the proposed engineering works wherever possible and confirm the desirable visual effect of the bridges on the Chicago landscape.