Why Chicago's Hidden Street has 3 Levels (The History of Wacker Drive)

beneath Chicago is a hidden network of roadways  and tunnels that some call the city's Forest of   pillars this is Lower Wacker Drive unknown to  most tourists and suburbanites this turn of the   century Marvel provides locals with a special  shortcut across the most congested parts of the   city yet the mystery gets deeper as below Lower  Wacker Drive is a third hidden level that is much   harder to access and almost entirely forgotten  today we discover the history of Wacker Drive   and its forgotten third level I'm your host  Ryan so cash and you're watching it's history before we get started today I have  an exciting announcement thanks to   our sponsor established titles I officially  became a Lord and you can too let me explain   established titles is a fun and novel way to  preserve the natural Woodlands of Scotland while   helping Global reforestation efforts the project  is based on a historic Scottish custom where   landowners are referred to as Lords and Ladies in  English 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establishtitles.com it's history   to get your gifts now and help support the  channel my ladies and Lords back to the episode   for context let's have a look at this historical  road map from 1902 featuring the city of Chicago   with some rather pronounced differences from the  city we know today Rail lines play a far more   Central role particularly on the north side  of the river terminating at the water later   becoming Navy Pier as you'll also see on the  map these Rail lines connected to various dock   buildings along the river and Lakefront from where  the cargo was loaded and sent to the rest of the   city and onto the country this relationship  between boat and train shape the nature of   Chicago's early infrastructure still with the  rise of the automobile and the implementation   of Chicago's great plan by Daniel Burnham the  city was about to receive a transformation that   would be the greatest thing since the Chicago  Fire the 1909 plan of Chicago was a publication   that recommended many projects to transform  the city the entire agenda was published by   prominent businessmen who recognized the needs  of a growing city considering that in 1900 over   a million people lived in the town when just  50 years earlier the population was in the   thousands things began to feel a bit crowded and  chaotic Additionally the 1893 world's Colombian   Exposition which we covered in an earlier video  showcased to the world just how much economic   potential Chicago had and hence when it came to  the reality of implementing the great plan of   Chicago business tycoons from wide and far would  come to take their piece of the profits the plan   included widening streets creating or improving  Parks upgrading the railroad and bringing massive   changes to the harbor the book proposed some  Ultra Modern even futuristic ideas which at the   time walked the line of sounding utopian all the  same some of these ideas were enacted including   the mysterious tunnels under Wacker Drive still  the other accomplishments made the city what it   is today especially concerning the lake front  so let's have a look the lake was always at the   heart of Chicago in fact when Explorer Robert De  Lasalle first arrived in 1687 on the land that   would later become Chicago he recalled in his  Memoir quote we arrived at a said place called   Chicago spelled c-h-i-c-a-g-u which according  to what we were able to learn of it has taken   this name because of the quality of garlic that  grows in the forests in this region that is to   say the area's Wetlands were so vast that they  presented a defining odor fast forward to the   plan of Chicago in 1909 improvements to the  lakefront were essential goals of the authors   who exclaimed quote the lakefront by right belongs  to the people not a foot of its Shores should be   appropriated to the exclusion of the people and so  the plan recommended expanding the parks along the   shoreline with landfill and now out of 29 miles  of City Lakefront only four aren't Parks this was   a fan fantastic gesture by the city which could  have enjoyed immense tax revenues had those 29   miles been industrialized outer Parks were also  a point of Interest with projects like the Cook   County forest preserve seeing some of its first  mentions in writing around this time that being   said changes to the transit infrastructure would  be what brought about the most drastic Innovations   City Rail lines would be pooled for efficiency  and Freight handling and in overall consolidation   of Chicago's six Inner City Railroad passenger  terminals would be placed west of the loop and   south of Roosevelt Road Union Station would be  finished by 1925 and with these improvements the   loops business district began to sprawl Southward  consolidating The Rail lines would significantly   impact the river's North Bank but it would be the  systematic arrangement of streets that resulted in   the underground forests of pillars you see the  city urgently needed more comprehensive ways   to relieve congestion Chicago's iconic diagonal  Street designs were one solution of which Ogden   Avenue is a pretty good example Michigan Avenue  or now the Magnificent Mile as a result of this   project was widened and extended across the river  replacing Pine Street up to Ohio and on the South   Bank of the river a Triple Decker Road would  be created with Upper Wacker Drive serving more   Scenic and representative purposes Lower Wacker  Drive offering a pragmatic way to avoid congestion   and lower lower Wacker Drive or subwhacker drive  for utilities this concept seemed impossible   but as you may have noticed in my other Chicago  History videos the city has a way of beating the   odds the original Triple Decker Road was completed  in 1926 and replaced South water and River streets   the route extended to Michigan Avenue where one  could cross the river on a double decker Bridge   construction costs came to 8 million dollars and  the name was ultimately chosen to honor Charles   Henry Wacker a German American businessman he  served as chairman of the general Committee of the   commercial Club of Chicago and was later appointed  chairman of the Chicago planned commission by the   mayor whacker was a powerful force in realizing  the grand plan of Chicago and his involvement   went deep as he was also the director of the 1893  Colombian Exposition Charles Henry Wacker passed   away on October the 31st 1929 in Lake Geneva  Wisconsin and now rests at the Graceland Cemetery   of Chicago between 1948 and 1954 additional  extensions were added south of Congress Parkway   and Harrison replacing Market Street between 1963  and 1975 wings were added connecting Lake Shore   Drive to the new lower level this connection made  a lot of sense but was complicated as back then   Lakeshore Drive had an s-curve at the river on a  Viaduct over the Illinois Central Railroad yard   meaning that the lower levels were dead ended  however in 1986 new alignments were made to   improve the connection and although the road was  now a fully connected utility of the city time had   already begun to take its toll by the early 2000s  Wacker Drive was crumbling along some portions of   the original Upper Deck the entire roadway failed  to meet modern Road widths and clearance standards   the visual aspects of the street that made it so  appealing in films like The Blues Brothers or The   Dark Knight also made it highly impractical  hence the city contracted experts to develop   a particular cast in place system to bring the  road up to code after 20 months and 200 million   dollars the new roadway was completed and is  expected to last up to 100 years Riverfront   walkways were also added for pedestrians yet the  historic Limestone elements were maintained and   the city even reproduced the Street's original  1926 lighting concept a lovely touch upgrades   continued through the decades to follow and  in 2014 the American Council of engineering   companies awarded the Builders of Wacker  Drive their prestigious Grand conceptor award   because in 2014 every day up to 135 000 vehicles  and 150 000 pedestrians moved through the roadway   which at the time was an active construction  zone so with that in mind let's have a look   at what Upper Wacker Lower Wacker and lower lower  Wacker consists of in the modern day South Wacker   Drive starts at a somewhat gritty intersection  of Harrison and Wacker from here drivers can   enter the upper roadway or the first section of  the lower deck should you follow the upper deck   you'd find yourself on the edge of the loop along  the river traveling north to your right would be   the Sears Tower which was the tallest building in  the world for many years had just a bit down the   road and to your left would be the Lyric Opera  of Chicago a masterpiece of a building and then   across the river is the augieville transportation  center which is a modern monstrosity that replaced   the historic Wells Street Station and cnw terminal  anyhow once you cross Lake Street Upper Wacker   Drive curves East and it's here that pedestrians  can enjoy the Chicago Riverwalk with unique views   of merchandise mart it's also from this level that  you could imagine the 60 plus miles of Forgotten   tunnels that connected to that building and other  historic ones in the area from this vantage point   you can also see where the Chicago River branches  away towards the Kenzie Street bridge this is   where the Chicago flood occurred in 1992 when  construction Crews accidentally punctured the   Forgotten tunnels it was also this bridge where  the driver of the Dave Matthew bands tour bus   dumped raw sewage directly into the river through  the graded roadway unfortunately a jam-packed   tourist boat was passing right underneath at the  time continuing East you'll be able to admire   Chicago's best Bridges and if you're lucky a few  may be open to accommodate boat traffic which is   an epic sight to behold upon reaching the junction  where Wacker Drive connects to Michigan Avenue or   Lake Shore Drive you'll see this guy who decided  to strike a pose for Google's camera anyhow before   the upper deck of the road terminates the first  lower level becomes exposed the upper level is   a fantastic way to travel if you'd like to take in  the beauty of Chicago's architecture but if you're   just looking to go from A to B or a more or Batman  type Vibe the lower level will be your route let's   start back at the beginning you could enter  the lower level from West Harrison or if you're   coming from the suburbs exit 290 directly into the  tunnel this is an excellent way to experience the   road because some people even considered whacker  drive to be an inner city Highway prototype the   lower level moves along so well that entering  it in this fashion almost feels like a portal   to Navy Pier this level of the roadway has also  been famous as a place of danger and filth and   it's certainly not a place that pedestrians would  enjoy the road has several entrances with the one   at Lake and Post Street considered a secret Lower  Wacker Drive is 2.2 miles long and is probably the   only way to cross downtown in under seven minutes  sometimes even during rush hour most drivers think   they've discovered a secret but fail to realize  that the top secret is actually right below their   wheels lower lower Wacker Drive or subwhacker  drive is not well known to the public since   access is limit it the roadway was built in 1975  to provide basement level deliveries and garbage   removal to many skyscrapers along the Route in my  opinion this concept is a nod to Chicago's Freight   tunnels that were used for the same purposes many  decades prior some Lower Wacker Drive was also   used for parking and storage furthermore this  level was the location of the city's notorious   impound yard which is how most citizens came to  learn of it however it was also noticed by other   means you see nearby residents reported hearing  very bizarre sounds at all hours of the night from   lower lower Wacker Drive which they hypothesized  came from street races Elliot Carter Put It Best   in his article when he stated quote deeper still  beneath Lower Wacker Drive is a little-known third   roadway challenging to find and little visited  by law enforcement Lower Wacker Drive was built   in 1975 to provide parking spaces for garbage  trucks storage for many unneeded trash cans and   city property there's a strange Paradox down here  you're simultaneously in the heart of downtown and   cut off from the Metropolis Above This nearby  remoteness makes lower lower Wacker Drive   popular among specific drivers who assemble on the  weekends for high octane drag races residents of   nearby apartment buildings can hear the echoing  screeches late into the night on Fridays and   Saturdays the Chicago Tribune estimated in 2015  that the racing has been going on for more than   a decade but added that nobody could say for  sure the races typically happened on Friday   nights many participants came from Northwest  Indiana the article goes on stating other than   drag racers most Chicagoans only visit the lowest  Wacker catacomb if their car has been towed by the   city's difficult to access Impound Lot located  on Lower Drive obvious obviously with one road   having three levels confusion is inevitable  Chicago had to install special beacons in   lower levels so that visitors wouldn't panic when  they found themselves underground in a dangerous   looking place with no GPS traditional Maps might  not help you either as in one square mile there's   lower lower East Wacker Lower East Wacker Upper  East Wacker Lower West Wacker Upper West Wacker   lower North Wacker upper North Wacker Lower  South Wacker and upper South Wacker now if you   think I'm exaggerating I challenge you to attempt  navigating these roadways using Google Earth and   you'll see that you can get lost that way as  well and with all that being said perhaps the   confusion is part of the beauty the navigational  challenge can keep people out and perhaps that's   a good thing leaving at least one fixture of the  city to serve the people who live there so as I   hope you now see Chicago's Triple Decker Road  is a truly unique example of Ingenuity against   the odds providing convenience for residents a  utility for skyscrapers and a little obscurity   an adventure for visitors like a necessary  piece of a complicated puzzle Chicago would be   incomplete without Upper Wacker Drive Lower Wacker  Drive and lower lower Wacker Drive Chicago's not   alone in this either many cities have mysterious  underground spaces which we love exploring here   on its history so if that sounds good to you  and you'd like to enjoy more hit the Subscribe   button and if you'd like to see an underground  world that makes Wacker Drive look minuscule by   comparison don't miss my video about the catacombs  of Paris and we'll leave it there for today feel   free to DM me your episode ideas on Instagram and  until next time this is Ryan silkash signing off

Channel: IT'S HISTORY

Views: 958,105

Keywords: tales of urban decay, urban history, American history, urban exploring, Ryan Socash, Chicago, 4K, Driving Downtown, City, Relaxing, Relax, Relaxation, ASMR, Tour, megaprojects, construction, engineering, projects, Wacker drive, chicago river, underground chicago, chicago forgotten history, unknown chicago history, explore chicago, urban American history, abandoneded, forgotten, lost forever, URBEX, exploring chicago, what to see in chicago?, What is Wacker Drive named after?

Id: CP63Ye4wYjk

Length: 16min 53sec (1013 seconds)

Published: Sat Nov 19 2022