CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Thousands of vehicles are expected to make their way through Chicago for Mexican Independence Day on Friday.
It became problematic last year when vehicles brought traffic in the downtown area to a grinding halt.
Although Chicago police have done a lot of planning this year, officials said traffic is going to be a challenge.
“Several hundred cars want to celebrate, while at the same time people want to get home when they get off work, or people want to get to work,” said Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown. “It’s going to look messy.”
During a press conference Monday morning, CPD Chief of Operations Brian McDermott said hundreds of cars was an understatement, and that he expects several thousand vehicles across multiple areas of the city.
“We do have a plan in place,” McDermott said. “It’s a coordinated effort with OEMC, and we've been planning for this for probably six or nine months.”
“We just want to focus on everyone having a great time, but having a safe time,” added Brown.
Each Chicago neighborhood has an individualized plan, which includes traffic routes and additional mobilized resources to keep cars moving and prevent heavy congestion.
Officers will also keep a close eye on any drag racing, covered license plates and street takeovers.
“We will work tirelessly after the fact to identify any cars that engage in illegal activity,” said McDermott. “We’ll follow up with our caravan task force to identify these cars and people who engage in this activity. We will impound our cars and these people will face fines of up to $10,000.”
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