Cornell Drive set to shut as a part of Obama center project

City officials said they are going to permanently close a roadway through Jackson Park in preparation for the looming Obama Presidential Center in Woodlawn.

A half-mile stretch of Cornell Drive between the Midway Plaisance and East Hayes Drive will near vehicle traffic for good on June 30, the Chicago Department of Transportation announced Friday.

The long-expected road closure is a component of a plan to create greater than 5 acres of latest green space by turning portions of roadway into parkland.

The town has been working on quite a few roadway changes and transportation improvement projects in and around Jackson Park in support of the Obama Presidential Center and the Chicago Park District’s South Lakefront Framework Plan with the goal of strengthening and refreshing Jackson Park and the encircling area.

Following the closure, traffic patterns in the world will proceed to alter starting July 1, including reopening one other a part of Cornell Drive, from Hayes Drove to Marquette Drive. Hayes Drive from Stony Island Avenue to Cornell Drive will even be temporarily closed.

Southbound drivers coming from DuSable Lake Shore Drive to Stony Island Avenue are beneficial to take DuSable Lake Shore Drive to Hayes Drive to Cornell Drive then to Stony Island Avenue.

Northbound motorists should take Stony Island Avenue back the other way through Cornell and Hayes drives to get to DuSable Lake Shore Drive.

Drivers are asked to pay close attention to construction staff and signage when in the world and to follow posted speed limits.

The planned closure of Cornell Drive, which slices through the Obama and Museum of Science and Industry campuses, has long been a controversial topic, with some residents complaining the closure will push traffic to neighboring streets.

Once road construction is complete, drivers will have the ability to make use of Hayes Drive to enter DuSable Lake Shore Drive.