Citizens for Appropriate Transportation (CAT)
The Eisenhower Transportation Corridor

CAP THE IKE STUDY

Synthesis Report - In April 2004, the Village’s consultant completed a draft Synthesis Report for the Cap the Ike Feasibility Study. The consultant conducted two Visioning Workshops with instructions not to consider cost. Talking about the community survey, the Synthesis Report says, “The general consensus of community participants in the CAP the IKE Study to date can be summed up as ‘we like the idea, but are worried about how much it will cost and how it will be financed.’” The quote reflects a legitimate concern about how realistic the study results will be.

The pinch point (narrowest width) of the Corridor is 236 feet at Oak Park Avenue. The widest width is 447 feet at Ridgeland Avenue. Because of the depth of the Ike and the need for structure to support a cap, having a flat cap to allow a person standing on one side to see to the other side would mean pushing the Ike further down. The depth at Harlem is less than the depth further east between Oak Park Avenue and Austin Boulevard.

The Market Analysis section of the Synthesis Report notes “the potential 50 acres of developable land, if the IKE were to be capped.”

The Synthesis Report suggests that a full cap could require three separate tunnels (one each for the expressway, CTA Blue Line, and the CSX freight rail). Each tunnel would need to have crash and fire-rated walls. Fire detection and sprinklers, mechanical ventilation, drainage, emergency access and egress, the need to stop traffic from entering a tunnel when a fire alarm is activated, and control over hazardous materials are all design issues.

Phase I: Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Assessment - At their May 18, 2009 meeting, the Oak Park Board of Trustees approved continuing the Cap-The-Ike Study. This Study has seven primary areas of concern: (1) Traffic Analysis, (2) Real Estate Impact Analysis, (3) Air Quality Analysis and Solutions, (4) Project Visualization, (5) Drainage (storm water), (6) Structural, and (7) Fire Code (primarily tunnel requirements). The Study will consider three scenarios: (1) No Build, (2) Full Cap, and (3) Cap Reduction. The consulting team includes URS, Terra Engineering, and the Goodman Williams Group. The $955,000, 3-year study is 100 percent federally-funded by the Federal Highway Administration.

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