Wacker Drive

Wacker Drive

Upper Wacker Drive, looking west from Michigan Avenue
Wacker Drive highlighted in red
Former name(s)	Market Street Water Street River Street
Length	2.2 mi (3.5 km)[1]
South end	Upper Wacker: Franklin Street/Harrison Street intersection (360 west at 424 south) Lower Wacker: Ida B. Wells Drive near Wells Street (220 west at 400 south)
East end	US 41 (Lake Shore Drive) (340 north at 400 east)
Construction
Inauguration	1926

Wacker Drive is a major multilevel street in Chicago, Illinois, running along the south side of the main branch and the east side of the south branch of the Chicago River in the Loop.^[2] The vast majority of the street is double-decked; the upper level is intended for regular street-level traffic, and the lower level for service vehicles, deliveries, waste collection, utility access, and through traffic. It is sometimes cited as a precursor to the freeway, though when it was built, the idea was that pleasure vehicles would use the upper level. Since it follows the curving path of the Chicago River, Lower Wacker Drive is the only street in the city that adopts both North–South and East–West designations.^[a] In certain areas, there is a third level of Wacker Drive, often known as Lower Lower Wacker Drive or Sub-Lower Wacker Drive. This additional layer is primarily used for towing and impounding vehicles, utility infrastructure, and rail access in some areas. The street is named after early 20th-century Chicago businessman and city planner Charles H. Wacker.

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