Parking and traffic

View the complete Northwestern Campus Parking and Traffic Study >>

In an effort to help address existing and future traffic concerns in Streeterville, Children's Memorial partnered with Northwestern University, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago to engage Metro Transportation Group to analyze Streeterville area traffic and parking and provide recommendations for improvement. Their study evaluates current traffic and parking conditions and the projected growth for the institutions and other new development through 2012.

Parking

Children's Memorial Parking and Traffic Study isolates the parking and traffic impact of the new hospital >>

Parking for patients of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago will be available in the Huron-Superior parking garage. There will be a pedestrian overpass across Superior Street to provide access to/from the Huron-Superior parking garage. 

In addition, the four campus institutions have agreed to provide 1,100 new parking spaces by 2012. At least 800 of these will be in a new garage on campus, and the balance may be provided by securing off-street parking rights in an off-campus garage with shuttle service.  

Additionally:
  • Public transportation is highly accessible. There are many CTA buses and Rapid Transit trains throughout the neighborhood, running both east and west, and north and south, day and night. There are CTA El lines accessible a short walk from Michigan Avenue. Visit the Chicago Transit Authority's web site to view a system map.
  • Children's Memorial will continue to provide shuttle bus service to and from downtown train stations and other locations as necessary.

Traffic

The study evaluated 40 intersections in the area and suggested that without any changes to traffic flow, at least 28 of them will continue to operate adequately in 2012, compared to 32 intersections today meeting similar criteria.

Children's Memorial, Northwestern University, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago have worked closely with Ald. Brendan Reilly, the city and the Streeterville community for the past several months to evaluate the study's recommendations. The four medical campus institutions have together committed to the city to make significant investments in the neighborhood to improve traffic, including:

  • Providing funding for traffic control aids and pedestrian countdown signals;
  • Re-striping Chicago Avenue and Superior Street;
  • Developing a comprehensive traffic management plan in the next several months.