Street closures to take effect Saturday night – NBC Chicago

With three days until Monday’s Democratic National Convention, residents and workers around the United Center were already preparing for delays and battling road closures.

“Detour, detour all day long,” said Robert Lockhart while waiting for a ride on the Near West Side. “If you got to come over here in this area, be prepared to be like, ‘Oh man, traffic is going to start, so let me plan around that.'”

The Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Exit from the Interstate 55 northbound lanes, inclusive of the I-55 turnaround lane, will be closed except to vehicles authorized by the U.S. Secret Service.

The following closures will be enforced starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday on the Near West Side:

Madison Street from North Hoyne Avenue to North Paulina Street
Damen Avenue from West Lake Street to West Van Buren
Adams Street from South Damen Avenue to Paulina Street
Washington Street from North Damen Avenue to North Wood Street

Closures will kick in around the McCormick Place as well.

Starting Friday night, two vehicle security screening checkpoints go into effect. One is at South Indiana Avenue and 18th Street, while the other is near Wabash Avenue and Cermak Road.

Residents and those visiting the area can also expect the following closures at 7 p.m. Saturday:

Indiana Avenue from 18th to East 24th Place
Michigan Avenue from 21st to 25th streets
Cermak Road from Wabash Avenue to MLK Jr. Drive
23rd Street from Wabash to Indiana avenues
Prairie Avenue from Cullerton Street to 24th Place
24th Street from Wabash to Indiana avenues
Calumet Avenue from Cullerton Street to 24th Place
24th Place from Wabash Avenue to MLK Jr. Drive
MLK Jr. Drive from Cermak Road to 25th Street
East 21st Street closed from, and inclusive of, South Michigan Avenue to South Calumet Avenue. Note: East 21st Street will be open from west of South Michigan Avenue to inclusive of South Wabash Avenue and East 21st Street.