What's the holdup completing the overhaul of the Congress Parkway bridge? When traffic control aides at Chicago's airports turn surly, what's a driver to do? And why aren't the new senior citizen reduced-fare transit cards "smart cards"?
Q: As I passed the still unfinished first phase of the Congress Parkway Bridge, I wondered anew why this project is so far behind schedule.
— John M., Chicago
A: Indeed, this project has gone horribly and will continue to snarl traffic entering and leaving downtown via the expressway system until next year. The work was plagued first by a delay in getting started, then a construction workers strike in July 2010 and subsequently the discovery of unlevel floor beams on the bridge that required a design change to the new bridge deck. So the project that began in April 2010 and was slated for completion in October now has a tentative wrapup date of mid-May 2012, said Guy Tridgell, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Transportation.
The tentative completion date for the first phase — rehabilitation of the inbound section of the drawbridge over the Chicago River — is now mid-September to early October, IDOT said. New deck panels were installed on the east leaf of the structurally deficient bridge's inbound lanes starting in late June, and crews now are installing deck panels on the west leaf, Tridgell said.
For drivers, it means the existing configuration of two lanes inbound and one lane outbound will continue. The ramps from the inbound Dan Ryan and Kennedy expressways to Congress Parkway remain closed.
Work on the outbound bridge will start soon after the first phase is completed and continue through the winter and next year, Tridgell said.
Q: We need to know what the rules are for curbside pickup of passengers at O'Hare International Airport. I coordinated pickup with my wife through cellphone, and she was waiting at the curb as I pulled up. The traffic control attendant immediately began banging on my window and shouting rudely that stopping was not allowed at all as my wife (in her 60s) was opening the tailgate and struggling to put her heavy bag into the car. A similar situation occurred last year when I was picking up my grandkids and daughter. In both instances, I was stopped only for a few seconds, not minutes. It's maddening. I've never had this problem at other airports. Please set the rules straight with the attendants and be consistent for those of us picking up loved ones.
— Jeff C., email
A: The rules are a bit vague, probably intentionally so. Drivers are allowed to pick up and drop off passengers curbside at the airport terminals "within a reasonable time frame," said Roderick Drew, spokesman for the Chicago Traffic Management Authority.
That guideline is set by the Transportation Security Administration to protect the public and airport employees. The TSA's primary goal is to minimize the opportunity for terrorists to park explosives-packed vehicles outside the terminals.
While no one can argue with the security concern, it should be made equally clear that obnoxious behavior by any city employee will not be tolerated. Certainly traffic control aides have a tough job, and they often take flak from some rude drivers who abuse the passenger pickup/drop-off rules. But the traffic aides are empowered to write tickets and order a tow truck to deal with such situations.
"If someone believes that they were mistreated by a traffic control aide, please file a complaint by calling 311," the city's nonemergency hot line, Drew said. Be sure to note the name on the ID badge of the traffic aide, the specific location, date and time.
"The goal is not to treat the traveling public in a disrespectful manner because rude and inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated," Drew said.
Q: I am a 71-year-old longtime CTA "L" and bus rider and have made great use of my discount-fare and later free-fare card. I am happy to again pay the half-price fare. However, I just received my new card in the mail and was distressed to find it was one of those old flimsy cards rather than the smart card I've had for years. When I contacted the Regional Transportation Authority, they said the smart cards would no longer be available for seniors. This will make boarding the "L" and buses more difficult for those seniors with arthritis or limited vision, and it will slow down the "L" and bus-boarding process for everyone. Why is the RTA doing this?
— Gerry K., email
A: Rather than simply touching a smart card against an electronic reader on CTA bus fare boxes and rail station turnstiles, seniors will use the magnetic-strip photo ID cards previously issued that require some hand-eye coordination to dip the cards into slots on the fare machines and grab them when they pop up. RTA and CTA officials provided different reasons for not going the more popular smart card route.
The CTA has a remaining inventory of about 500,000 smart cards, and using them to issue new reduced-fare cards for seniors would nearly deplete the stockpile, said Jordan Matyas, RTA deputy executive director. The CTA needs the available smart cards to issue Chicago Cards and Chicago Card Plus cards until the transit agency switches to a new fare-collection system over approximately the next five years, he said.
"The big factor here is availability," Matyas said. "We face a tough timeline, and we really didn't have a lot of options."
Starting Sept. 1, free rides for seniors will expire except for seniors meeting Circuit Breaker income eligibility. Both participants in the free ride and the reduced-fare programs are receiving magnetic strip cards.
CTA officials said cost was the main factor to steer away from smart cards.
"The CTA and RTA jointly determined the magnetic cards would be the most cost-effective and efficient way to replace the 400,000-plus senior ride free cards," said CTA spokeswoman Molly Sullivan. She said it's the same type of magnetic fare card that seniors used for reduced-fare rides before the senior free-ride program introduced by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich in 2008.
"We are confident the cards will work and will do everything we can to make the transition smooth for seniors," Sullivan said.
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