So Is It "The Loop" Or Is It "The Circle"?

[sunnyandcloudydays]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

There were various factions that influenced this. The Interstate plan before Eisenhower had this view. Then when IKE submitted his plan it morphed to include routing interstates through cities. Then in the early 60's neighborhood groups in certain cities protested the routing of urban interstates and were able to alter routing and stop a number of these. Baltimore is the best example of this. San Francisco also after the Embarcadero Freeway was built, cutting off the bay front.
In Chicago, the Crosstown was cancelled because of neighborhood protest. Looked at plans for the Crosstown and it was to be almost as wide as the Dan Ryan.

I have heard the interstates were to be used as routes for Military.

Its no wonder they did not wish to route the interstates thru the cities , all makes sense.
The interstate would easily be the best route to let the military travel with out interruptions.


.
This theory makes sense as even today the roads have such limited access and you could easily block entrance ramps .
They were also built during the cold war era.



It is a shame they never were able to come to terms with the cross town , this would have benefited everyone.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossto...ssway_(Chicago)

[Larry Siegel]

Originally Posted by sunnyandcloudydays

I have heard the interstates were to be used as routes for Military.

Its no wonder they did not wish to route the interstates thru the cities , all makes sense.
The interstate would easily be the best route to let the military travel with out interruptions.


.
This theory makes sense as even today the roads have such limited access and you could easily block entrance ramps .
They were also built during the cold war era.



It is a shame they never were able to come to terms with the cross town , this would have benefited everyone.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossto...ssway_(Chicago)

As part of a Congressional compromise, the Interstate highway system was marketed as a civil defense (evacuation) system as well as a military transport system, but the real purpose of the system was to upgrade the antiquated U.S. highway system for civilian cars and trucks.

I agree that we still need the Crosstown and will never get it :-(

[A2DAC1985]

Originally Posted by Larry Siegel

...I agree that we still need the Crosstown and will never get it :-(

I'm not necessarily sad that the Crosstown isn't/won't be built because the last thing Chicago needs is more vehicle traffic. A few weeks ago there was an accident at the Circle that had a couple lanes blocked. Electronic signs were saying it was a 2.5 hour trip from O'Hare to Downtown... 12 miles! Two-and-a-half hours!!!

But I am sad that the Crosstown isn't/won't be built because it would have been a lot easier to put in an outer "Loop" line in the middle of the Expressway, much like the Dan Ryan and the Eisenhower, that could have connected the Brown, Blue, Green, Blue, Pink, and Orange Lines.

[cubssoxfan]

I think part of what killed it was the plans called for a massively wide highway like the Dan Ryan instead of a more compact highway like the Edens. By the mid-60's the tide had turned against inner city interstates as the results of destroying and/or separating neighborhoods became apparent. The other factor was the NW side neighborhoods were against it and politicians wanting to be mayor had to respect the possible anger at the ballot box if the highway was "shoved down their throat".

[radiojunkie2006]

Originally Posted by linicx

As far as routes go CA is pretty well marked and easy to follow but that does not mean it is terribly easy to get between A and B if you are not on major routes like #1 or I-5. In Illinois it is easy enough to use the backroads between Chicago and St. Louis. Try that sometime between LA and SD or LA and SF. Afaik it is impossible.

I don't agree. There are a lot of surface streets that parallel the freeways in SoCal. Granted the freeways are a time saver but not necessary if you're not in a huge rush. For example, many main streets in Orange County have speed limits above 40MPH. I have taken the scenic route from OC to San Diego via PCH; granted it does take a lot longer but it also offers some beautiful country to see. It all depends on how fast you want to go from A to B.

"In Illinois it is easy enough to use the backroads between Chicago and St. Louis." I don't think I'd ever want to drive that route. The back roads are in poor repair and the boredom of the scenery would make me drive my car into the Mississippi river before I crossed into Missouri.

[Hendu]

Originally Posted by A2DAC1985

I'm not necessarily sad that the Crosstown isn't/won't be built because the last thing Chicago needs is more vehicle traffic. A few weeks ago there was an accident at the Circle that had a couple lanes blocked. Electronic signs were saying it was a 2.5 hour trip from O'Hare to Downtown... 12 miles! Two-and-a-half hours!!!

But I am sad that the Crosstown isn't/won't be built because it would have been a lot easier to put in an outer "Loop" line in the middle of the Expressway, much like the Dan Ryan and the Eisenhower, that could have connected the Brown, Blue, Green, Blue, Pink, and Orange Lines.

Actually a CTA line could be built on the unused rail right-of-way a few blocks east of Cicero. However, an expressway would require a major eminent domain acquisition that would make the O'Hare expansion seem like a cakewalk. I know my building (a charming 20-unit 1929 apartment building, with a sister building across the street) would face the wrecking ball if they wanted to widen the right-of-way to include an expressway. It would totally devestate the northwest side. Anyway, I think the crosstown expressway ship has sailed and it's probably for the best. Tearing down dense neighborhoods to build urban highways was a bad idea 50 years ago, and it is now.

I've always wondered why 90/94 is a freeway and 294 is a tollway. Wouldn't it make more sense the other way around (to encourage more drivers, especially interstate truckers, to use the bypass instead of going through the city)?

[prairiestate]

You know, the second proposal for the Crosstown right-of-way was an El line. That's something we desperately need. There's no easy way to get from the SW side to the NW side now, by vehicle or transit. However, I think most would agree we're better off building up transit in the city rather then roads. That would also take some cars off the streets, making it a bit easier for people who do need to drive.