(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – City government closed the Central Business District to incoming vehicular traffic Saturday evening in response to roving car caravans -- an about-face from the plan they announced earlier in the day.
The Office of Emergency Management and Communications said authorities would restrict access to an area bounded by Division to 18th Street from DuSable Lake Shore Drive to Halsted, but allow residents and workers in at several points: Halsted and Division; Halsted/Chicago; Halsted/Washington; Halsted/Madison; Halsted/Jackson; Division and LaSalle; Roosevelt and Union; and 18th and State, Michigan and Indiana.
The decision comes a day after Mexican Independence Day car caravans swarmed the downtown Friday evening and at times blocked traffic. The city belatedly imposed the same system of street closures for incoming traffic.
On Saturday morning, city officials said they would not do the closures for the rest of the weekend, unless public safety became an issue. That seemed to signal a level of tolerance for the revelers.
"For the remainder of the weekend, there are no planned street closures unless deemed necessary for public safety reasons," OEMC said at the time.
Later Saturday, the Illinois State Police announced that they would not tolerate caravans on expressways. OEMC issued its change in plan shortly before 7 p.m.
Listen to our new podcast Looped In: Chicago
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram