Sheridan Road Divides Us. Let’s Build a Bridge

Writer Seamus Chiles Troutman advocates for Loyola to rise above Sheridan Road traffic. Literally.

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A tunnel may be out of the question — but what about a bridge? (Ashley Wilson | The Phoenix)
A tunnel may be out of the question — but what about a bridge? (Ashley Wilson | The Phoenix)

Seemingly every hour, cars exiting North DuSable Lake Shore Drive clash against the horde of Loyola students in their mass exodus from class as they head across campus. Calling this cyclical and unstoppable event a disruption would be a massive understatement. 

The only reasonable remedy to the headache of crowded crosswalks and lengthy traffic light wait times is to find some other way of crossing the street without burdening both students and drivers.

To preface with full honesty, I haven’t studied urban planning, construction management nor engineering.

Political science and history is my self-proclaimed forte and I can hardly assemble an IKEA desk with detailed instructions, let alone organize a major construction effort. Yet it’s become evident Loyola has overlooked this rift between the northern and southern sides of its Lake Shore Campus — and something needs to change.

I’ve seen first-years at the crosswalk of North Sheridan Road during syllabus week end up missing their graduation because the light took so long to change. Jaywalking isn’t only acceptable, but almost mandatory in this environment. Teenagers play leapfrog in front of multi-ton trucks in the hopes of not being late to a core class

When the signal to walk shines like a star in their faces, students are elated before the light quickly counts down their freedom to cross.

Students wait for cars to pass for an eternity — and then some — in Chicago’s erratic weather. But if they blink at an ill-fated moment when the light changes, there’s a good chance it will have already faded to red by the time they open their eyes.

Something is rotten on the border of Rogers Park and Edgewater.

How can this be fixed? We could put up a zipline between the northern academic buildings and southern residence halls, or set up paragliders on the roof of Mundelein for those venturing to de Nobili Dining Hall. 

But while these aerial forms of transport might work in most other towns, the famous Chicago winds would push any paragliding navigators to the center of Lake Michigan, and any zipliners balancing over Sheridan would likely fall to the fast-moving metal chariots rushing below.

Digging a tunnel beneath the road might be a safer option — this would bypass the congestion on Sheridan and allow students to avoid the winter’s harsh weather.

But, a tunnel would likely block Loyola’s heavily advertised geothermal or hydro-recycling piping operations.

And if it takes months for Loyola to demolish a building, one can only imagine how long a tunnel system would take to construct. It’d be like the Centennial Forum — perpetually under construction. 

A tunnel may be out of the question — but what about a bridge?

We can pay homage to the University of San Francisco, our fellow Jesuit institution, by building a structure akin to the Golden Gate Bridge. We could swap the orange vermillion color with a nice maroon.

Or, if the goal is sturdiness and functionality, we can follow the ancient Romans. Throw in some semicircular arches crafted from stone blocks, and our bridge might last two thousand years. It could even be named after Sister Jean as a hopeful sign of longevity.

While both of these options are exciting, the most feasible construction for a bridge may be one we’re already familiar with. Even though most students have never crossed it, a sky bridge currently connects the Norville Athletics Center and the practice facility.

This bridge looms over campus, isolated from the disturbing wind and eight-foot-wide trucks. With a bridge between Mundelein and BVM Hall, every member of the Loyola community would be able to circumvent the potential disaster of being late to class or the minor inconvenience of being hit by a car.

Together we can bridge the gap between north and south Campus, uniting Rogers Park and Edgewater under one roof with one bridge.

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