Construction closes westbound Harrison from Halsted to Morgan

Circle interchange looking west, preconstruction.

There are two seasons in Chicago, an old joke goes: winter and construction.

One is over, according to the calendar, while the other will continue around campus for months to come.

Harrison Street between Halsted and Morgan streets will be closed to westbound traffic for four weeks beginning March 21 as Commonwealth Edison relocates power lines and vaults for the Circle Interchange Project. Westbound traffic will be detoured to Van Buren Street.

The closure will affect Parking Lot 9, campus shuttle bus service and the CTA  No. 7 Harrison and No. 60 Blue Island bus routes.

Lot 9 customers should be able to access from the parking lot from eastbound Harrison Street. If construction prohibits access from Harrison, drivers can turn from Racine Avenue east onto Congress Parkway. Congress, a single-lane road at that point, has construction traffic, so drivers should proceed with caution. Directional signs will be posted.

Beginning March 21, commuters assigned to Lot 9 can also use their cards to park in Lots 1A and 1B west of the Behavioral Sciences Building. Parking staff will be available at the corner of Morgan and Harrison streets to provide assistance.

Customers who would prefer to park in a different  lot should contact the UIC Parking Office at 312-413-5800.

Campus shuttle service will also be rerouted. The new routes are:

• Semester Express westbound service: Detours at Halsted and Taylor, proceeds west on Taylor, stops at the Engineering Research Facility, proceeds to Morgan and turns south to Roosevelt. The new route then turns west to Racine, north to Harrison, then west, stopping at the Student Services Building. The normal westbound route then continues. No changes are expected to the eastbound route.
• The morning commuter shuttle stop at Morgan and Halsted streets will be relocated to the southwest corner of Taylor and Morgan.
• The commuter shuttle stop at Polk and Halsted will be relocated to Science and Engineering South.

Construction crews will work double shifts to expedite completion of the project.

Visit the CTA website for information on changes to CTA bus routes No. 7 Harrison and No. 60 Blue Island.

For questions about the shuttle routes, call UIC motor pool at 312-996-2842.