Security perimeters introduced for Democratic National Convention starting to come down now that the event has ended and state representatives and party officials are heading home. Normal traffic routes will be restored around McCormick Place and the United Center beginning Friday and will end Monday, according to a news release Thursday from Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications and the Department of Transportation.
For McCormick Place, the perimeter started coming down Thursday night. By 3:00 p.m. Friday, all major intersections will be cleared and the Interstate Highway 55 exit will be reopened. 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, perimeter takedown began at 1 a.m. Friday. At lunchtime on Saturday, Damen Avenue, Wood Street and Adams Street will open “if possible” and most major intersections will be open. The whole area will reopen at 23:59 on Sunday.
For access to the Chicago Housing Authority’s Henry Horner’s homeResidents and community members seeking entry will still have to walk through the parking lot off Paulina Street as they did during the DNC. Normal access will be restored by 23:59 on Sunday.
Churches on Damen and Washington Boulevard will be available by 6 a.m. Sunday.
The news release said motorists driving around the United Center and McCormick Place during the demolition of the perimeters should be prepared for possible lane closures “to ensure public safety.”
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