From the City's Department of Water Management:

Project: We will replace about 4,000 feet of water mains at Lake Shore Drive and Belmont.  The existing 36-inch pre-stressed concrete cylinder pipe was tested in late 2007 and early 2007 and was found to be in need of replacement.

Tentative Schedule: The two phases described here will be undertaken simultaneously using a combination of City of Chicago crews and a private contractor (Reliable Contracting & Equipment Company, Inc.):

Phase I:

• Lake Shore Drive West (Aldine Avenue to Briar Place)
• Pipeline Installation - October 15th to November 15th, 2007
• Concrete Pavement Patch - November 16th to November 21, 2007
• Final Restoration - April 2008

Phase II:

• Lake Shore Drive West (Briar Place to Wrightwood Ave.)
• Pipeline Installation - October 15th to December 14, 2007
• Concrete Pavement Patch - December 15th to December 31, 2007
• Restoration - April 2008

• Closure of the southbound Lake Shore Drive exit ramp at Belmont.  Drivers will have the option of leaving the Drive at Irving Park Road or Fullerton Ave.
• Only buses will be allowed to make the soft left turn south of Aldine to reach Southbound Lake Shore Drive.  Traffic aides will be on hand during rush hours to allow southbound traffic to turn left onto Belmont for access to Lake Shore Drive. A left turn signal will also be installed at Belmont.  Drivers may want to consider Irving Park Road or Fullerton entrance ramps in the early going.
• We will "stage" installation on Inner Lake Shore Drive and Belmont Avenue to permit traffic in both directions as we cross these streets.  We will do this work over weekends to make certain we cause the fewest problems possible.
• On the south end of the job, we will make similar arrangements when crossing Cannon and Stockton Drives.

Parking: We will have to eliminate parking on Lake Shore Drive West and other areas while the project is underway.  We will have three crews (starting at Aldine, Briar Place and Stockton Drive), and will move as rapidly as possible.  Please note and obey "No Parking" signs.  When we encounter cars parked in our way, we re-locate them in the neighborhood.  You can call 311 to learn the location of a given car.  We DO NOT have the ability to prevent parking tickets or get them dismissed once they are issued.  

CTA: This work will involve temporary elimination of the #151 bus stops on Inner Lake Shore Drive at Aldine Avenue and Melrose Street.  CTA riders will have the option of walking north or south, and signs will be posted.  We do not expect any other changes to CTA bus routes or schedules.

Hours: In order to finish the work as quickly as possible, we will ask our crews to work extended hours.  We plan to work Monday through Friday from 7am to 8pm.  We will work the weekends as we cross Belmont Avenue and the entrance ramp to southbound Lake Shore Drive, and may work other weekends if it is a matter of staying on schedule or getting out of the way faster.  When this happens, we would anticipate it would be on Saturdays and Sundays between 8am and 9pm.

Lincoln Park: The new main will go beneath the parking lane on the east side of Lake Shore Drive West at the edge of the park.  We will stage pipe and materials just inside the parking lane.  The Department of Water Management has coordinated with the Chicago Park District to install the new water main just south of the Hamilton statue between Cannon and Stockton Drives.

Contact Information:

• 24 Hour City Services: 311
• Dept. of Water Management Assistant Commissioner Tom LaPorte: 312.742.1029 (direct) or 312.617.7719 (cell)