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"We feel like we've been in the frickin' Odyssey."Ĭommuters going north from downtown on Lake Shore Drive around 5 p.m. "Thirteen hours later we are back where we started and we're going back to work," Close said, laughing. Speaking by cell phone Wednesday morning, Close said it was surreal to be walking back into his office building. "It was so cold and blustery outside and the wind just howled."Įventually, around midnight, Close said firefighters escorted Close from his car to a warming bus. So he turned off his engine to preserve gas, called his family to tell them that he was OK and split a snack-size Nestle Crunch bar with his friend. The dispatcher told him to use his best judgment.
LAKE SHORE DRIVE 2011 BLIZZARD WINDOWS
With snow caked over the windows of his Honda, he called 911 for help. "I feel like someone missed on the boat on not closing down Lake Shore Drive before it became a disaster," said Craig Close, who was stuck on the road for about five hours as he tried to make it home to Lincoln Square.Ĭlose, who was carpooling with a co-worker, came to a halt a few feet from the Fullerton exit. Many of those motorists have blamed the city for failing to close the drive and said there appeared to be no organized rescue plan. Nearly a thousand cars were stranded on the drive overnight. "We saw normal snow conditions, and the road was still passable. "In 31 years with the city, I haven't experienced anything like we did last night," Orozco said.
LAKE SHORE DRIVE 2011 BLIZZARD SERIES
Without a series of accidents after 7 p.m., the ordeal might not have happened, they said. While acknowledging the Lake Shore Drive standstill was "particularly troublesome," officials said they would not apologize for keeping the road open as the storm intensified. "Nonetheless, it was clear that people leaving the Loop were relying on it as a major artery to get home that night." "As reported in (Tuesday's) press conference we knew that the lakefront and Lake Shore Drive would be hit especially hard," said Ray Orozco, Mayor Richard Daley's chief of staff. Authorities, however, did not officially close the road until 8 p.m., after a series of accidents caused motorists and several CTA buses to become stuck. Many were not rescued until early this morning, as rescue workers battled white-out conditions, 70 mph wind gusts and waist-high drifts to provide help.Ĭity officials, however, said they had cautioned people in news conferences earlier Tuesday that massive waves along the shoreline could cause extremely icy conditions on the drive. Hundreds of motorists and CTA passengers ended up trapped on the drive for six hours or more Tuesday night. He also said he felt it was important to keep the drive open as long as possible because thousands of commuters depended on it to get home. Orozco said he still believes keeping the drive open was the right decision, pointing to the fact emergency crewsd would have had a difficult time responding to calls if the arterial streets had been clogged with traffic. Specifically, it was my judgment call, in the job that I hold as chief of staff," Orozco said.ĭaley spent several hours at the 911 center in the afternoon, but left before the news conference this afternoon. "At the end of the day, the Lake Shore Drive decision was a judgment call. After meeting with Daley at the 911 center Wednesday, Orozco took the blame for leaving Lake Shore Drive open.