US-based McHugh Construction has re-opened portion of Revive Wacker Drive between Washington and Madison Streets in time for the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s opening night gala on 1 October 2011. Under the City of Chicago’s Revive Wacker Drive project, McHugh is rebuilding a portion of the 1.2 mile long, double-decker viaduct that wraps around the city’s central business district and handles over 60,000 vehicles every day. Phase II of three-phase project includes demolishing and rebuilding of both the Upper and Lower Wacker from Randolph Street to Monroe Street under a grueling schedule.
Construction crews have been working weekends and double shifts, sometimes performing continuous concrete deck pours of 2,000 cubic yards. The new upper deck is engineered to last 100 years using a high-performance concrete mix with a latex overlay and post-tensioning in two directions compresses the deck to make it stronger. McHugh has met all major milestones on the project and is on track to complete the work in March 2012.