Street Closings In The South Loop For Nato

It's time to welcome the world to the South Loop, and South Loop Neighbors is making sure you have facts and information about what to expect. Throughout the weekend, the SLN website will be kept up-to-date with the latest information from city authorities and other sources. We hope you find it useful.

Road closures. From 6 pm Saturday, May 19, until midnight May 20, Roosevelt Road will be closed east of Michigan Ave. Columbus and Lake Shore Drives will be closed from Balbo Dr. to 31st St. The area around McCormick Place will be closed from Friday at midnight through Saturday, Sunday, and Monday midday. Roads that will be closed include Calumet Ave./King Drive from Cullerton to 26th, Prairie and Indiana Avenues from 21st St. to I-55, 21st St. east of Indiana Ave., and Cermak Rd. east of Michigan Ave. No residences or businesses will be within the secured fenceline. 

A map of Saturday Museum Campus road closings is on the SLN website.

A "soft zone" a couple of blocks further out might include residential or commercial areas, and require residents and employees to show IDs for entry at certain times. This zone will probably be east of Michigan Ave. and south of Roosevelt Rd., and may be drawn even smaller so it would not affect Museum Park and Central Station residents.

Protesters are expected all weekend, but the largest rally and march is set for Sunday, May 20. It will begin at 2 pm at the Petrillo Bandshell, go west along Jackson to State, then south to Harrison, east to Michigan, then south to Cermak, disbanding by 4:15 pm. The group had earlier been promised that it could march to 23rd and Indiana, within sight and sound of McCormick Place, so the endpoint may be a site of conflict between protesters and police.

An Occupy Chicago gathering is planned for 7:00 to 9:00 pm Saturday at Congress and Michigan.

To keep up with changing conditions and protest incidents, the city is encouraging residents to sign up for text, email, or phone alerts at notifychicago. Businesses are encouraged to sign up for security alerts by text.

As a precaution, South Loop residents should carry ID (or a utility bill) with their current address, in the unlikely event that police briefly restrict certain streets to residents only.

CTA will be adding additional buses and trains. Street closures will affect several CTA bus routes to the South Side, notably routes 3 King Drive and 6 Jackson Park Express. Specific details for specific dates can be found  at the CTA website.

Metra will have airport-style security measures in place for all lines. No food or drink will be permitted, and bicycles and large parcels including most backpacks and briefcases will be forbidden. From Saturday, May 19, through Monday, May 21, all Metra Electric stations between Van Buren Station and 53rd will be closed. Many other Metra Electric stations will be closed on Monday, May 21. More details can be found  at the Metra website.

The Jewel store at Roosevelt and Wabash will close at 10 pm on the days of the summit weekend.

The north end of Printers Row will see increased federal security presence around the Federal Center, perhaps as far south as Harrison.

A downtown air defense exercise will begin at 9:00 am Friday, lasting approximately two hours