At CKL Engineers, we take pride in the work that helped shape our company’s foundation and set the tone for the successful projects we deliver today. As one of our earliest projects, the U.S. 41 South Lake Shore Drive Extension remains proof of our dedication to engineering excellence and positive impact.
We provided documentation support on the U.S. 41 Extension project, which lasted just over a year. The project rerouted U.S. 41 through land previously occupied by a long-demolished U.S. Steel mill, providing a new connection from 79th Street and South Shore Drive to 87th Street and Avenue Q. The project also included a CTA bus turnaround point, extensive landscaping improvements, and pedestrian infrastructure, unlocking one of the last remaining private sections of the Chicago lakefront for local residents of the South Chicago neighborhood.
A decade later, plans are now in motion to transform the U.S Steel site into the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, a billion dollar initiative to ensure Chicago and the state of Illinois play a key role in the future of technology. Prospective tenants include PsiQuantum, the federal DARPA-Illinois Quantum Proving Ground, and many more in the coming years. We're proud to have laid the groundwork for this ambitious step into the future, which also promises to be an economic boon for the surrounding communities.