Shortly after Alex Bowman came out victorious Sunday night in a rain-soaked Grant Park 165 in downtown Chicago, the city began reopening the streets that had been closed for the NASCAR track and festivities.
The Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications began the process Sunday night. The northbound portion of DuSable Lake Shore Drive opened Monday morning at 6 a.m.
The section of Michigan Avenue that was closed for the race between Roosevelt Road and Monroe Street is expected to open by noon Monday, with one lane closed on Michigan between Van Buren Street and Jackson Drive.
The southbound section of DuSable Lake Shore Drive is expected to open back up by Tuesday at 11 p.m.
Other streets closed due to the race will be reopened once the wall, fence and viewing structures are torn down by, at the latest, July 18.
Similar to last year’s race — the first NASCAR race held on the city’s streets — DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive are being given top priority for reopening, the whole process taking upwards of 10 days.
This year, Mayor Brandon Johnson committed to reducing the setup and breakdown schedule for the event by 6 days. NASCAR streamlined its construction, the first major closure — Jackson Drive between Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive — beginning June 27.
Street closure information for the upcoming Democratic National Convention is expected to be released later this month, according to the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications. Streets are expected to close around United Center and McCormick Place.
