Weather grounded President Barack Obama Wednesday morning, forcing him to motorcade to O’Hare International Airport, and that was just the beginning of traffic woes for Chicago-area commuters.
The motorcade prompted warnings of congestion on the Kennedy Expressway between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m.
The president was forced to push back his takeoff from 9:40 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. due to foggy conditions and the need to motorcade to the airport.
Commuters on Lake Shore Drive also reported serious traffic complications Wednesday.
Many drivers reported commute times of more than an hour on southbound Lake Shore Drive during the morning rush and others reported backups on the Eisenhower Expressway.
"It has been nasty, very nasty," said commuter James Odom, who was late for work thanks to the extra long drive time.
A Chicago Department of Transportation spokeswoman said the delays were caused by work being done on the roadway by the Department of Water Management.
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Officials said jack hammer work and curb work, which cannot be done at night, was conducted during the morning and afternoon hours.
Spokeswoman Susan Hofer said the work was expected to be done around 3 p.m., but CDOT will be paving the road as part of the Lake Shore Drive resurfacing project Wednesday evening as well.
The project to resurface North Lake Shore Drive between Grand and North Avenues began Oct. 19 and is expected to last four weeks. Officials warned of periodic closures, particularly before and after rush hour.
The Department of Water Management said the work taking place on Lake Shore Drive is under the supervision of CDO and "only occurs within the confines of the CDOT work zones and time constraints."
