crossing the
Chicago River The multilevel configuration arose from geography and
traffic patterns in
the Loop. In most other parts of the rest of the city near the Chicago River, only major streets crossed the river. However, most downtown streets crossed the river, and all of these crossings were
bascule bridges, which required
height clearances at the approaches to and over the river. Clearances were further necessitated due to the presence of many existing
railroad tracks along the river (as in the west bank of the south branch) and tracks that ended at the river (such as the tracks ending at
Randolph Street). Thus, a clearance zone was created along the river at locations that contained many closely spaced crossings. Many double-decked or triple-decked streets were created because they fell within this clearance zone. This also created an anomaly not only in the layout and uses of streets, but also planning of buildings. Generally, the upper levels of the multi-level streets usually serve local traffic. The primary entrances of buildings are usually located on this level. The lower levels generally serve through-traffic and trucks serving businesses along the roads. This level houses the receiving/shipping entrances to the buildings on these streets. As a result, loading docks at street level are noticeably absent. The first raising occurred from 1855 to 1858, when streets and buildings
were raised between four and seven feet above their former elevation, just a few feet above
lake level, where they were constantly muddy. The higher elevation allowed for
sewers and proper
drainage. However, this did not produce any two-level streets; the first of those was
Michigan Avenue in the late 1910s. When the
Illinois Center development was built on the east side of downtown, a new upper level was built, making most streets in that area three levels. After about 1890,
special interest groups, including recreational bicyclists, farmers delivering harvested crops to market, and motorists, began to mount support for
concrete paving to replace the previously common
dirt roads. Public road planning in Chicago began in 1910 when the
Chicago Plan Commission was created to implement
Daniel Burnham and
Edward Bennett's plan. The double-decked portion of
Wabash Avenue north of the Chicago River was built in 1930, in conjunction with the single-level
Wabash Avenue Bridge. On January 3, 2005, the upper and lower levels were closed at
Kinzie Street for reconstruction (in conjunction with the
Trump Tower Chicago development) but have since been reopened. The city's famed
Billy Goat Tavern, immortalized by
John Belushi in a
Saturday Night Live sketch as the
Olympia Cafe, is located on the lower level of Michigan Avenue. ==List of streets==