Some roads closed ahead of schedule this week for the July 5-6 NASCAR Chicago Street Race after pavement around Grant Park buckled under extreme heat.
Portions of Columbus and Balbo drives closed Wednesday night so crews could repair the roads that were damaged during a heat wave that peaked at 95 degrees on Monday, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation.
Columbus had been scheduled to close June 30 from Jackson Drive to Roosevelt Road. Balbo was initially scheduled to close June 27 from Michigan Avenue to Columbus.
Street closures for the third consecutive year of NASCAR races around Grant Park began last Thursday, June 19, with the blockage of Balbo between Columbus and DuSable Lake Shore Drive. On Monday, crews closed Ida B. Wells Drive from Michigan Avenue to Columbus.
NASCAR says it has reduced the time it takes to build the course by 42% compared with the first street race in 2023 — down to 25 days from 43 days. The total length of street closures has also been reduced 28%, down to 18 days of closures compared to 25 in 2023.
Future scheduled closures include:
- On June 30, Columbus Drive will be closed from Jackson Drive to Roosevelt Road.
- At 10 p.m. July 2, Roosevelt Road will be shut down from Michigan to DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
- Starting at 12:01 a.m. July 3, southbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive will be closed from Randolph Street to McFetridge Drive.
- At 10 p.m. July 3, northbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive will be closed along the same stretch.
Find more information on road closures at https://www.nascarchicago.com/local-info/.
