Completion of the Navy Pier Flyover project is being delayed — again.
The coronavirus is not to blame.
More structural repairs than originally thought are needed for the Depression-era bascule bridge over the Chicago River that is a key component to the project, Chicago Department of Transportation spokesman Mike Claffey said Friday.
In other Flyover news, workers have begun tunneling through one of two bridgehouses. A path that’s being added to the east side of the bridge will connect the bridgehouses and carry cyclists and pedestrians through the hollowed-out spaces.
The path will replace the often congested and narrow sidewalk that has been in use for years.
Construction on the Flyover Project began in 2014 and was originally slated for completion in 2018; then the middle of 2019; then the end of 2019; then the spring of 2020.
The end of 2020 is the new target date, the city Transportation Department said.
The $64 million project has drawn repeated criticism for taking longer to build than the Golden Gate Bridge (four years).
It’s not all frowns, though.
For months, a completed portion of the Flyover has provided a much improved experience by carrying users over Grand and Illinois streets, eliminating the street-level crossings.
