FROM MISSILE BASES TO PUBLIC PLACES - CONDUCTING ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS OF CITY PARKS

A preliminary environmental site assessment along US 41 (Lake Shore Drive) was completed by the Illinois State Geological Survey for the Illinois Department of Transportation in late 1999. The purpose of the survey was to determine any environmental concerns, both natural and man-made, that IDOT might encounter during activities to repave and to improve drainage along US 41.

The construction area is surrounded by park environments with minor commercial and residential activity along the west side. Examination of several sources of information made it apparent that previous land use had embraced other man-made hazards, including two railroad roundhouses, two Nike missile bases, and two world’s fairs. Activities at the roundhouses had included extensive servicing of steam and diesel locomotives (consuming as much as 3,028,329 L [800,000 gal] of petroleum products each month). Large underground voids for missile storage at the former missile bases were distant from the project; however, numerous underground storage tanks (USTs) had been installed for space heating and vehicle fueling, and not all were removed prior to closing. Activities at one of the world’s fairs had included storage of petroleum compounds for generation of electrical power. Fibrous asbestos-containing building materials may have been present in buildings at both world’s fairs, the roundhouses, and the missile bases. The Chicago Park District currently has USTs to store fuel for park vehicles, and two gasoline stations along 67th Street at the south end of the project are leaking UST (LUST) sites. Transformers at 22 sites along the highway provide power for traffic and street lights. During a limited subsurface investigation, volatile organic compounds indicative of petroleum were detected at several sites. No polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and only limited heavy metals were detected.