Archive for the ‘Highway Links’ Category

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Court Date Set for IDOT v. Vulcan

Monday, April 26th, 2010

In May 1998, a one-mile section of Historic Route 66 (Joliet Road) in McCook, Illlinois was closed due to pavement faults.

Looking northeast from just east of East Avenue, the barricades and chain-link fence close off the damaged section of the Mother Road

Looking northeast from just east of East Avenue, the barricades and chain-link fence close off the damaged section of the Mother Road

The Illinois Department of Transportation alleged in a lawsuit filed in 2001 that quarrying activities of Vulcan Materials on either side of the road damaged the state right-of-way. Vulcan has consistently denied any liability for damage. After nearly nine years, the case is now scheduled to be heard in court starting May 10th. (Full disclosure: I have been retained by lawyers for IDOT to provide expert testimony on the history of Route 66 and the specific history of this section of Joliet Road through McCook).
From the Township Maps of Cook County, published by the County Department of Highways, 1974. 66/Joliet Road runs diagonally across the center, from top left to lower right.

From the Township Maps of Cook County, published by the County Department of Highways, 1974. 66/Joliet Road runs diagonally across the center, from top left to lower right. The Santa Fe railroad is shown below Joliet Road, and southwest of 55th Street three of the quarries later owned by Vulcan Materials are also noted.

Since the closure of Joliet Road, traffic has been detoured onto a two-mile detour following 55th Street and East Avenue. I wrote an article concerning the road closure for the Spring 2006 issue of the Federation News, the quarterly publication of the National Historic Route 66 Federation. Here is an excerpt from that article:

In the Autumn 2002 issue of the Federation News, then-Mayor of McCook Patrick Gorski wrote, “In May of 1998 a one mile stretch of Historic Route 66 was closed due to damage to the roadway…the road basically split in half and was actually moving, therefore causing certain sections of the roadway to sink, causing areas to crack, and concrete jersey walls to explode from the pressure of the movement…Limestone in the area was mined right up to about fifteen feet on the north and south sides of the Historic Highway 66 corridor. This type of mining, and excavating, along with other acts committed by the quarry operators, caused the roadway to be damaged.”

A Chicago Tribune article from January 26, 2001 stated, “Vulcan blames Mother Nature: The company says the rock cracks and slippages that ultimately ruined the roadway extend 400 feet down, much farther than Vulcan has ever mined.” According again to former Mayor Gorski, “On September 21, 2001, the People of the State of Illinois and the Illinois Department of Transportation, filed suit in the Circuit Court of Cook County, seeking injunctive relief and damages against the local quarry involved in the mining and excavation of the area surrounding the Historic Route 66 corridor.”

Closed section of Route 66 in McCook

Closed section of Route 66 in McCook

The lawsuit should determine whether or not Vulcan Materials is legally liable for damage to the IDOT right-of-way; however, it may have little bearing on the question of whether the road can ever be safely reopened.

Posted in Highway Links, History, Illinois, US | 2 Comments »

Jackson Blvd Viaduct Re-opened

Sunday, April 25th, 2010

The Jackson Boulevard (eastbound Route 66) viaduct over the Union Station Railroad tracks in Chicago re-opened to traffic last week. It had been closed since June 2009. The old failing structure was demolished and completely replaced.

I posted up about the closure last year. The viaduct is located between Canal Street and the Jackson Bridge over the Chicago River. The closure had required detours, but did give pedestrians a rare 10-month chance to walk in the middle of the bridge without getting run over by traffic.

There are now no detours along Historic 66 in Cook County that I am aware of. In fact, portions of the highway alignment are being used for traffic detoured off the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290). Major repair work is in progress on the Congress Parkway bridges over the river as well as along the entire length of the expressway. Commuters have been advised to find alternate routes, and Jackson Boulevard, Ogden Avenue, and Adams Street have all been marked as I-290 detours.

Old Route 66 come to the rescue again!

Posted in Chicago, Highway Links, Illinois, Interstates, US | No Comments »

2010 Hall of Fame Inductees Announced

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

The Route 66 Association of Illinois has announced its 2010 inductees into the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame. I have served several years on the Hall of Fame committee, (but not currently), so I know that the work of the committee is interesting and rewarding when deserving recipients are honored thanks to your efforts. It can also be contentious and difficult.

So, with this insider knowledge of how difficult and also rewarding the process can be, I have to applaud the current Hall of Fame committee for a strong and well-deserving group of inductees. The committee did a great service to the Illinois Association, the Hall of Fame, and to helping to preserve and protect the Route 66 historic legacy.

The details of the inductees are well documented on the Illinois Route 66 Association website. 817 Hillsboro in Edwardsville, known for years as Halley’s Cash and Carry Market; Lewis A. Barrick, founder Barrick Transfer & Beverage Co. in Lincoln, IL; the Deck Family of Girard and their Deck’s Drug Store and Museum; Snuffy’s Grill in McCook; and the Ambassador award to Bob Waldmire–all excellent choices.

Route 66 was always most importantly a vehicle for spreading commerce along the corridor through which it passed. If the highway failed to so spread commerce, it would not have been worth the cost in taxpayer money spent to finance the hard road’s construction. All of the Hall of Fame inductees are examples of the success of Route 66 in spreading commerce, from the business owners, to the bricks and mortar of businesses, to places still going strong (such as Snuffy’s), and to an artist who literally made his living on the road.

A hearty round of applause for the Illinois Hall of Fame committee! Job well done!

Posted in Awards, Highway Links, Illinois, US | No Comments »

Route 66 goes to Lowell Indiana!

Saturday, April 10th, 2010

This coming week represents a first for me, as I cross the state line out of Illinois to bring Route 66 to Lowell, Indiana. This is the first time that one of the PowerPoint presentations we offer will be seen at a library outside of Illinois. The Lowell Public Library at 1505 E. Commercial Avenue (Indiana Rt. 2) will host my presentation of Historic Route 66: A Journey Through History at 7 p.m. on Tuesday April 13, 2010. To register that you are coming (most libraries like to have a head count) call 219-696-7704, or go to their website: http://www.lowellpl.lib.in.us

It is also kind of a homecoming for me, since Lowell is where I attended three years of high school, sophomore through senior years, and where I graduated in 1975 (yes, way back in the last century). My ties to Lowell have nothing to do with why I am going to their library for this presentation, because the folks there had no idea that I was a former resident of the town when they contacted me about the program.

When I lived in Lowell, it had a population of about 4,000 people, and I see that as of the last census it has grown to over 7,500. It was always a rural area in the southern part of Indiana’s Lake County, dominated by farming. There was train service in the 20th century from the Monon and nearby from the New York Central, and in the auto era it was (and still is) on Indiana state highway 2 between Indiana 55 and US 41. Not far to the east, superslab I-65 cuts its swath–the less said about that, the better.

In my school days from 1972-75, there were at first no franchise restaurants. That changed with the opening of a Dairy Queen. There was a very good restaurant named Dante’s that had pizza and Italian fare and it was an outlet for Broasted Chicken as well.

Over on US 41, just south of the intersection with Indiana 2 leading into Lowell, for most of my youth long before we moved there we often passed by and saw a barn with a painted sign advertising Look Out Mountain “In Rock City, near Chattanooga Tennessee. See Seven States!” I used to drive my parents crazy asking them when we could go down to Look Out Mountain!

I look forward to returning to Lowell, provided my passport and visa is in order for the border crossing from Illinois and Indiana. I hope any Hoosiers with an interest in Route 66 will come on down to the Lowell Public Library, 1505 E. Commercial Avenue (IN Route 2), at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 13, 2010. To register that you are coming (most libraries like to have a head count) call 219-696-7704, or go to their website: http://www.lowellpl.lib.in.us

Posted in Events, Highway Links, Indiana, Presentations, US | 2 Comments »

Postcards from the Ledge

Monday, April 5th, 2010

Route 66 Magazine, Spring 2010 Issue

Click above to see a larger image of the cover of the Spring 2010 issue of Route 66 Magazine

I just received my copy of the Spring 2010 issue of Route 66 Magazine. I knew that Sandi and Paul Taylor intended to use my article as the “cover story,” but did not know they would actually put a photo of me and my better two-thirds on the front of the magazine!
The article is titled “Postcards from the Ledge,” and it discusses the Sears Willis Tower Skydeck in Chicago, and its newest feature: The Ledge. The Skydeck is the observatory on the 103rd floor of North America’s tallest building (located right on Route 66 between Jackson Boulevard and Adams Street). The Ledge is comprised of four cantilevered glass boxes that protrude 4.3 feet out from the west side of the building.
Looking Down at Route 66 from the Ledge

Click above for larger view down on Route 66 from the Ledge

Eastbound Route 66–Jackson Boulevard–is 1,353 below and just to the left of my left foot in this picture. Westbound Route 66–Adams Street–is just in front of Carol’s shoes on the right.
Route 66 Magazine continues to publish excellent articles and information about the road culture of this country. Get yourself a copy of the magazine (or subscribe) and enjoy!

Posted in Chicago, Highway Links, Illinois, Magazines, Route 66 Magazine, US | No Comments »

Vintage Chicago Route 66 Filling Station Saved

Monday, August 24th, 2009

The Castle in its derelict stage

The Castle in its derelict stage


There is good news indeed along Route 66 in Chicago! The John J. Murphy Filling Station at 3801 W. Ogden Avenue, is currently being spruced up and adapted for reuse as a restaurant. The castle-styled station was built in 1925, and Mr. Murphy operated it for over 45 years. It changed names a few times in the 1970s, likely due to Mr. Murphy’s retirement or sale of the business. Its last use was as the Castle Car Wash. It was in this last, likely failed attempt at commercial use that the lettering was painted onto the stone facade.

The castle stood vacant and deteriorating for many years, but it caught the eye of many a traveler with an eye for fine roadside architecture. Earlier this year, Landmarks Illinois placed the castle on their Chicagoland Watch List. Every time I drove down Ogden, I worried that I would look over and see the old castle demolished.

The Castle Turret as it looks now

The Castle Turret as it looks now

Imagine my delight when I received a call a while ago from a gentlemen who said he had signed a deal to refurbish the castle and use it as a restaurant. As you can see from this photo, the stone has been tuckpointed and all painted lettering has been removed.

I will be meeting the man behind the refurbished castle soon. Stay tuned for more information!

Posted in Chicago, Eateries, Illinois, US | No Comments »

Hungry Hound visits Route 66 eateries near Chicago

Saturday, August 22nd, 2009

Our local ABC TV station in Chicago, WLS Channel 7, aired this nice piece tonight about Del Rhea Chicken Basket and White Fence Farms. The host, Steve Dolinsky, has been doing food and restaurant-related work on various Chicago stations for over ten years. I think he gets the “flavor” of the restaurants and the road pretty well!

You can see the video here:

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=6977311

Bon Apetit!

Posted in Eateries, Highway Links, Illinois, US, Wanderings | No Comments »

Two New Presentations from Windy City Road Warrior

Friday, August 21st, 2009

For the last two years, I have enjoyed meeting people at libraries, museums, social meetings, and senior centers while presenting my programs on Route 66, the Plan of Chicago, and the Roads that Lead to Lincoln. Now, I have added two more PowerPoint presentations to our portfolio:

  • The Architects of Chicago’s Route 66, and
  • The Illinois & Michigan Canal: Past and Present

    • 1930s postcard view of Chicago's skyline from Grant ParkThe Architects of Chicago’s Route 66 presentation is based upon an award-winning series of articles that has appeared in the Federation News, the quarterly publication of the National Historic Route 66 Federation, since 2007. The structures along the Route 66 corridor in Chicago, where Route 66 began its western journey, were the face that the city presented to visitors and travelers. Architects whose work graced the Chicago Loop thoroughfares that carried Route 66 traffic (Jackson Boulevard, Michigan Avenue, and Adams Street) include W. W. Boyington, William Le Baron Jenney, Daniel Burnham, John Root, William Holabird, Martin Roche, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Mies van der Rohe. This program will look at the reasons why this corridor became a haven for travelers and visitors. It will also explore the evolution and changes of the built environment over the course of the highway’s commissioned life from the perspective of the architectural styles of the designers that shaped it.

    Stonework and footbridge over the I & M Canal at LockportThe Illinois & Michigan Canal: Past and Present will take a look at the long prelude to the building of the canal. Starting with the first exploration of the future canal corridor by French-Canadians Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet, through the protection of the area by the U.S. Fort Dearborn, and then the succession of treaties with the Native Americans that ceded control of the area to the Federal government. The promise of the canal, which would create an unbroken navigable highway of water from the Great Lakes to the vast Mississippi River system, led to such decisions as where to draw the border between the new state of Illinois in 1818 and the Wisconsin Territory to the north.

    It was the building of the canal that created a need for a municipality on the southwest shore of Lake Michigan–Chicago. Through this planned city, platted on paper before it ever existed on the swampy tall-grass prairie, it was expected that the goods and commerce transferred between large lake vessels and canal barges would bring wealth to Illinois and create a gateway between the settled east and frontier west.

    The presentation’s final section will be a virtual tour of the Illinois & Michigan Canal corridor as it looks today, and it will showcase many of the places of historical and recreational interest that travelers can visit now. These sites include preserved sections of the canal and its limestone and wood structure in Lemont, Lockport, Morris, and LaSalle, and a look at the marvelous exhibits about early explorations and canal building at Will County’s Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville and the Joliet Area Historical Museum.

    We are also continuing all four of our current presentations, and I am eager to bring them to any venue with an interest. For more information on any of the presentations, please check out the Presentations page on this blog.

    Posted in Chicago, Events, Presentations, Scenic Byways | 1 Comment »

    Route 66 Detour in Chicago Starting June 1, 2009

    Sunday, May 31st, 2009

    The warning signs of an impending closure of Jackson Boulevard (eastbound Route 66) have been up for several weeks now, and it will become a reality tomorrow morning after rush hour:

    Jackson Blvd. stretch to close Monday A.M. – Chicago Breaking News

    Quoting from the Tribune article:

    Jackson Boulevard between Canal Street and Wacker Drive is scheduled to close after Monday morning’s rush period for major bridge repairs.

    Traffic will be affected as work begins to rebuild the Jackson viaduct spanning Union Station’s south passenger platforms and 16 tracks, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation.

    On the website for the Chicago Transit Authority, it is noted that the work on Jackson is expected to last until April 2010. Although only one block of Jackson is being rebuilt, it is a tricky section because it is a viaduct that rises from ground level at Clinton Street to pass above the railroad tracks of Union Station. East of the construction zone is the Jackson double bascule bridge over the Chicago River.

    What does this mean to the Route 66 traveler? Well, if you drive into Chicago on Route 66 eastbound, you will be unaffected all the way to the block that contains Lou Mitchell’s restaurant. You will then need to detour, either by turning south at Clinton Street or north at Canal Street.  I would suggest that the best detour would likely be south on Clinton one block to Van Buren, east (left) on Van Buren across the river to Wacker Drive, north (left) on Wacker back to Jackson, then east (right) on Jackson the rest of the way to the end of 66 at Lake Shore Drive. Westbound Route 66 will not be affected, since it travels on Adams Street.

    Posted in Chicago, Highway Links, Railroad Links, Scenic Byways, US | 2 Comments »

    Motor Tour Cruisers invited to take a Walk in Chicago

    Saturday, April 11th, 2009

    On Friday, June 12th, participants in this year’s Illinois Motor Tour are invited to take a walking tour in Chicago at a discount price. In keeping with the theme of the 20th anniversary Motor Tour, Cruising the Land of Lincoln, the walking tours will emphasize the historic places visited by Abraham Lincoln or his family along the Route 66 corridor in Chicago’s Loop. Two tours will be offered:

    A highlight of the East Tour is a visit to the 'Begin Historic Route 66' sign

    A highlight of the East Tour is a visit to the 'Begin Historic Route 66' sign

    10 a.m. June 12th—East Loop Tour. We will start at LaSalle Street and Jackson Boulevard and walk east to Michigan Avenue, the original place where Route 66 began. We will walk north along Michigan to Adams Street (westbound Route 66 after 1953) and walk back to LaSalle Street. Lincoln locations along the way include the site of the hotel where Mary Todd Lincoln lived at the time of her alleged suicide attempt; where Robert Todd Lincoln worked when he was President of the Pullman Palace Railcar Company; where Tad Lincoln attended school; and where Lincoln’s funeral train arrived in Chicago in May 1865. Other highlights include the world’s tallest building with weight-bearing walls and the Tiffany mosaics of the Marquette Building. Of course, we will also discuss Route 66! The tour will last approximately two hours and covers about one leisurely mile (no stairs).

    Union Station, on the West Loop Tour

    Union Station, on the West Loop Tour

    1 p.m. June 12th—West Loop Tour.     We will start at LaSalle and Adams Streets and walk south to Jackson, then west to Clinton Street. After a visit to Union Station, we will walk back east on Adams to LaSalle. Lincoln locations along the way that we will discuss will be the old Chicago & Alton depot, where Lincoln’s Pullman funeral car departed for Springfield in May 1865; the place where Lincoln was nominated as President; where Lincoln worked as a commissioner for the Illinois & Michigan Canal; and where Lincoln argued in Federal Court on behalf of the Rock Island Railroad in the Effie Afton case. Other highlights of the tour include Sears Tower, the movable bridges over the Chicago River, and a look at Lou Mitchell’s Restaurant. And yes, we will talk about Route 66 all along the way. The tour will last approximately two hours and covers about one leisurely mile (some optional stair climbing).

    Tours normally cost $15 per person, but Motor Tour participants and members of the Route 66 Association of Illinois will receive a discount for these June 12th tours. Participants taking either one of the tours will receive a 33% discount–$10 per person. Anyone interested in taking both tours will receive a 50% discount—only $15 per person for both tours—like getting two tours for the price of one!

    Reservations are required: Call Dave Clark at 312-432-1284, or email dave@windycityroadwarrior.com. So come to Chicago on June 12th to Follow in Lincoln’s footsteps as we get our Kicks on Chicago’s Route 66!

    Posted in Chicago, Events, Highway Links, Lincoln, US | 2 Comments »

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