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Intermittent closures in effect downtown
Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management (OEMC) announced on X that intermittent street closures began in the downtown area at 8 p.m. on Saturday night.
It is unclear how long the closures will remain in effect.
According to the OEMC, public transit is not affected by the closures, but drivers are advised to plan for additional travel time.
CTA reroutes buses downtown
Because of Saturday night’s large crowds downtown, the Chicago Transit Authority has temporarily rerouted bus services downtown from Roosevelt to Wacker in both directions.
This is a breaking news update the original story can be found below.
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CHICAGO — As people across the city are celebrating Mexican Independence Day this weekend some of the celebrations could lead to a round of street closures.
On Friday night, revelers took over a part of Michigan Avenue, prompting Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management to implement intermittent street closures.
“It scared me a little bit. I would not have wanted to, like, have been walking. I was glad that I was in a vehicle and that we were able to, like get on the expressway and go a little west and come back in,” Chicago resident Angella Clark said.
Community leaders hope to curb the return of the caravans seen in the past with the return of a sanctioned downtown event.
Fewer people appeared to participate on Friday night and some said they felt the celebrations were tame compared to what the city has seen in years past.
On Friday night, two men, including a 67-year-old, were shot while standing on the sidewalk near Michigan Avenue and East Wacker Drive, but police have not confirmed if the victims were taking part in the celebrations.
In previous years, the party on Loop Street left traffic gridlocked for hours.
Last year, officers made more than 80 arrests, but a CPD Spokesperson did not have arrest numbers from Friday night’s celebrations available.
Saturday night traditionally draws the largest crowds and officers had already implemented intermittent street closures in the downtown area by 8 p.m.