Wacker Drive
Former name(s) | Market Street Water Street River Street |
---|---|
Length | 2.2 mi (3.5 km)[1] |
South end | Upper Wacker: Franklin Street/Harrison Street intersection (360 west at 424 south) Lower Wacker: Ida B. Wells Drive near Wells Street (220 west at 400 south) |
East end | US 41 (Lake Shore Drive) (340 north at 400 east) |
Construction | |
Inauguration | 1926 |
Wacker Drive is a major
The upper level is normally known as Upper Wacker Drive and the lower level is Lower Wacker Drive. A short part has a third level, sometimes called Lower Lower Wacker Drive[3] or Sub Lower Wacker Drive.
History
In 1909,
The original double-decker road, replacing South Water and River Streets, was completed in 1926 at a cost of $8 million and named after
An extension south to
In spring of 2010, work commenced on rebuilding the north–south section of Wacker, from Randolph Street to Congress Parkway, including the upper and lower levels. This is a continuation of the Revive Wacker Drive project started in 2001.
Wacker is the only street to intersect both State Street (the east–west center line) and Madison Street (the north–south center line), although Lake Shore Drive and LaSalle Street/Drive[7] also each cross both dividing lines.
In April 2014, The American Council of Engineering Companies awarded the Wacker Drive and Congress Parkway Reconstruction project its Grand Conceptor Award. The project team was led by TranSystems and included roadway, bridge and tunnel improvement work. The project involved complex staging to keep 135,000 vehicles and 150,000 pedestrians moving through the construction zone each day.[8]
Intersections
The following streets intersect Upper Wacker Drive, from south to north and west to east. Most upper-level streets that end at Wacker Drive, with only right turns allowed, are not included.
The entire route is in
mi[9] | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
0.0 | 0.0 | Harrison Street (600 South) / Franklin Street (300 West) | Southern terminus; no access to Upper Wacker northbound | ||
0.2 | 0.32 | Ida B. Wells Drive | Northbound entrance only | ||
0.2 | 0.32 | Van Buren Street (400 South) | |||
0.3 | 0.48 | Jackson Boulevard (300 South) | |||
0.4 | 0.64 | Adams Street (200 South) | |||
0.5 | 0.80 | Monroe Street (100 South) | |||
0.5 | 0.80 | Madison Street (1 North/South) | |||
0.6 | 0.97 | Washington Street (100 North) | |||
0.7 | 1.1 | Randolph Street (150 North) | |||
0.8 | 1.3 | Lake Street | No access to Lake Street westbound from Upper Wacker Drive northbound | ||
0.9 | 1.4 | Franklin Street (300 West) | |||
1.0 | 1.6 | Wells Street | |||
1.1 | 1.8 | LaSalle Street (140 West) | |||
1.2 | 1.9 | Clark Street (100 West) | |||
1.2 | 1.9 | Dearborn Street (36 West) | |||
1.3 | 2.1 | State Street (0 East/West) | |||
1.3 | 2.1 | Wacker Place | Eastbound exit only | ||
1.4 | 2.3 | Wabash Avenue (44 East) | |||
1.5 | 2.4 | Michigan Avenue (100 East) | No access to Upper Wacker Drive westbound from Michigan Street northbound or Upper Wacker eastbound from Michigan northbound | ||
1.6 | 2.6 | Stetson Avenue | |||
1.7 | 2.7 | Stetson Avenue | |||
1.7 | 2.7 | Columbus Drive | |||
1.9 | 3.1 | St. Regis Chicago | Eastern terminus | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
The following streets intersect Lower Wacker Drive, from south to north and west to east.
The entire route is in
mi[10] | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
0.0 | 0.0 | Harrison Street (600 South) / Franklin Street (300 West) | Southern terminus | ||
0.1 | 0.16 | Ida B. Wells Drive | Northbound entrance and southbound exit | ||
0.9 | 1.4 | Post Place | |||
1.2 | 1.9 | Garvey Court | |||
1.3 | 2.1 | Wacker Place | Eastbound exit only | ||
1.5 | 2.4 | Michigan Avenue (100 East) | |||
1.5 | 2.4 | Beaubien Court | Eastbound entrance and exit only | ||
1.6 | 2.6 | Stetson Avenue | |||
1.7 | 2.7 | Columbus Drive | |||
2.0 | 3.2 | US 41 (Lake Shore Drive) | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
In popular media
- The 1980 film The Blues Brothers used Wacker Drive as a setting.[11]
- The car chase scene in The Dark Knight (2008) was filmed on Lower Wacker Drive.[12]
- The music video for "Burnin'" pays tribute to Chicago house producers that Daft Punk found inspiration in.[13]
Gallery
-
Two aerial views in 1926
-
A side view, as seen from the Chicago River
-
Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago
-
A view of Wacker Drive and the Chicago River looking east from Merchandise Mart in February 2017.
-
View of East Wacker skyscrapers from Lake Point Tower, July 2022
See also
- Multilevel streets in Chicago
- Philo Carpenter
- Buildings on Wacker Drive
- Blue Cross-Blue Shield Building
- Civic Opera House
- One South Wacker
- 111 South Wacker Drive
- 200 South Wacker Drive
- Willis Tower
- 311 South Wacker Drive
- 333 Wacker Drive
- 225 West Wacker Drive
Explanatory notes
- ^ The western portion of the street is called North Wacker Drive and South Wacker Drive, while the northern portion is called West Wacker Drive and East Wacker Drive.
References
- ^ Google Maps estimate.
- ISBN 0-8294-0597-6
- ^ Brown, Mark. "Lower Wacker Homeless Coming to Uptown". Uptown Update. Retrieved 7 Feb. 2012.
- ^ Garfield, Graham. "Market Terminal". Chicago-L.org. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
- ^ "Reviving a Landmark". Roads and Bridges. October 2001. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
- ^ "Revive Wacker Drive project". 2003. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
- ^ LaSalle Street is principally a north-south roadway. North of North Avenue however, LaSalle Drive runs generally east-west, intersecting with Clark Street, Stockton Drive, and Lake Shore Drive. Dearborn Parkway, State Parkway, and Astor Street do not exist north of North Avenue; LaSalle Drive crosses State Street/Parkway's 0-E/W meridian while transiting the southern edge of Lincoln Park.
- ^ "TranSystems - TranSystems' Wacker Drive Reconstruction Wins Top Honor from ACEC".
- ^ name=google_maps
- ^ name=google_maps
- ^ "The Blues Brothers - Chicago Filming Locations". Locations in the Blues Brothers. Archived from the original on May 24, 2008. Retrieved December 16, 2008.
- ^ "The Dark Knight (2008) - Filming Locations". IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- ^ "Daft Punk - Burnin' (Official Video)". Vimeo. Retrieved 2019-04-13.