Security perimeters put in place for the Democratic National Convention are starting to come down now that the event has concluded and state representatives and party officials are heading home. Normal traffic routes will be restored surrounding McCormick Place and the United Center starting Friday and will wrap up by Monday, according to a Thursday news release from Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications and the Department of Transportation.
For McCormick Place, the perimeter started to come down Thursday evening. By 3 p.m. Friday, all major intersections will be cleared and the Interstate Highway 55 off-ramp will reopen. By 6 a.m. Sunday, Cermak Road from Michigan Avenue to Indiana Avenue will be clear and by 8 a.m. the entire area will be open.
For the United Center, the perimeter takedown began at 1 a.m. Friday. By noon Saturday, Damen Avenue, Wood Street and Adams Street will open “if possible” and most major intersections will be open. The entire area will reopen by 11:59 p.m. Sunday.
For access to the Chicago Housing Authority’s Henry Horner Homes, residents and community members seeking entry will still have to go through the parking lot off Paulina Street as they did during the DNC. Normal access will be restored by 11:59 p.m. Sunday.
Churches on Damen and Washington Boulevard will be accessible by 6 a.m. Sunday.
The news release said motorists driving around the United Center and McCormick Place during the breakdown of the perimeters should be prepared for possible lane closures “to ensure public safety.”
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