Hooray for Cul De Sacs!

Work on the cul de sacs at Elliot and Tenth Avenues at Lake Street could begin as soon as 2006, according to Jeffery Smollar, a block captain in the Parkside West neighborhood.

Although this project has been discussed for years, it may finally get off the ground thanks to the work of staffers in the mayor’s office. Although the proposed budget still needs to be approved by the full council, Mayor R.T. Rybak has set aside a total of $570,000 for the project over the next two years.

Smollar credits the mayor’s with jumpstarting the work. “The mayor’s staff has had to find funding for the cul de sacs that (City Councilman) Robert Lilligren couldn’t ,” Smollar said. The work would be broken down over two years, with $285,000 allocated for each section. Neighbors have complained for years about traffic up and down Elliot from patrons of the Chicago Lake Liquor Store. The cul de sac would dead-end Elliot and 10th Avenue almost at Lake Street but still allow patrons of the liquor store and the U. S. Bank to enter and leave the parking lots on Elliot and 10th Avenue to go to Lake Street. The Elliot Avenue section would begin in 2006, and the Tenth Avenue section in 2007.

Temporary barriers will be placed until the permanent cul de sacs go in, Smollar said, and specifics on project details will be addressed in upcoming Parkside West group meetings. “It is the goal of the Public Works Department to have both of these streets back to the ‘pre-construction’ as soon as possible. They do apologize for any confusion ,” Smollar said.