Campus institutions' community commitments

The medical campus institutions are experiencing an exciting year of advancements for our patients and improvements for our Streeterville neighborhood. Most significantly, in May, Children’s Memorial began construction on the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago located at 225 E. Chicago Avenue, adjacent to Northwestern Memorial’s Prentice Women’s Hospital. The new hospital will open in Spring 2012. Northwestern Memorial Hospital has constructed a pedestrian bridge over St. Clair Street, and removed two bridges over Huron Street and Fairbanks Court that connected to the Veterans Administration Hospital now under demolition through March 2009. Also, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago opened its Center for Pain Management at 980 N. Michigan Ave. over the summer. In addition, the Feinberg School of Medicine and Nikon Instruments, Inc. opened the new Nikon Imaging Facility, housed in the Feinberg School’s Cell Imaging Center in June.

In an effort to help address existing and future traffic concerns in Streeterville related to Lurie Children’s Hospital’s new building and various other campus developments, the campus institutions engaged Metro Transportation Group to analyze Streeterville area traffic and parking, and provide recommendations for improvement. The study evaluated current traffic and parking conditions and the projected potential growth of the institutions and other new developments through 2012.

The campus institutions worked closely with Alderman Brendan Reilly, the City of Chicago and the Streeterville community to evaluate the study's recommendations.  As a result, the campus institutions have committed to make significant investments in the neighborhood to improve traffic. These improvements include:

• Developing a comprehensive traffic management plan to address campus traffic and parking needs
• Reconstructing the curb radius at the intersection of Chicago and Fairbanks to improve traffic flow, especially bus turns
• Funding the City’s installation of up to 44 pedestrian countdown signals at intersections
• Funding six City traffic control aides during Lurie Children’s Hospital’s construction to direct traffic at key intersections and to enforce traffic and parking violations.  Once the new hospital opens and is occupied, the campus partners will fund twelve City traffic control aides
• Improving the intersection of Chicago Avenue and Mies Van Der Rohe to include new traffic signals, restriping and the addition of a westbound left turn lane into the hospital driveway

Parking for patients of Lurie Children’s Hospital will be available in the Huron-Superior and Erie-Fairbanks parking garages. There will be a pedestrian overpass across Superior St. to provide access to/from the Huron-Superior parking garage.

In addition, the four campus institutions have agreed to provide no less than 1,100 new parking spaces for patients, employees and visitors by 2012.  At least 800 of these will be in a new garage on campus and the balance will be provided either in the new garage on campus or by securing off-street parking rights in an off-campus garage. The location of the new parking garage will be identified by March 2009.

For more information about Lurie Children’s Hospital or related parking and traffic improvements, go to www.childrensmemorial.org/newhospital.