As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, “It’s a visionary idea for beautifying Chicago and lifting a community’s property values whose time has never come.”
“But might it come at last? There’s still an allure here for making no little plans, even if they are arguably unwise.”
“The idea is the Kennedy Expressway cap, a green oasis that could be built on a deck over the highway as it cuts its swath west of downtown. It would cover that unsightly traffic, diminish its roar and provide open space for a West Loop region that teems with new residents, offices, hotels and restaurants. Think of it as Millennium Park replicated about a mile and a half west.”
“Capping the Kennedy is a notion that’s been out there for years, always with a dream-like quality to it. It was included in the city’s 2003 Central Area Plan, its first comprehensive look at the downtown region since 1958, and it also was featured in a 2009 “action plan” update that cheerily set a goal of completing it by 2020.”
“Burnett noted Fifield has been an ardent supporter and developers could come up with money on their own. I asked if he thinks the proposal would pass muster with Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who wants more public investments in underserved areas, and Burnett deflected the question to her planning commissioner, Maurice Cox. “This planning commissioner is for green space and open space,” he said. Some area residents also have said the idea could work for the Eisenhower Expressway near the medical district.”
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