Chicago By ED McMANUS

Cracks, leaks, potholes and general decay

CHICAGO, it appears, ain't what it used to be. It's wearing out. It's falling apart. And although the city government is trying, it really doesn't seem to have the money to cope with the problem.

The evidence is there — streets with potholes and more potholes, crumbling bridges, vaulted sidewalks caving in, dilapidated public buildings and mass transit facilities. Less obvious, but every bit as serious, are the miles of obsolete sewer lines and the hundreds of leaking water mains.

The city has yet to conduct a complete survey of the condition of its capital stock. But former city budget director Donald H. Haider, in a 1980 article in "Planning Reporter," a publication of the Metropolitan Housing and Planning Council, gave an idea of the scope of the problem:

• The sewer system consists of 4,200 miles of sewer line. Many miles are single-ring brick, largely unserviceable, exceed 100 years of age, and are obsolete. Replacement costs run an estimated $1 to $3 million per mile.
• Water main leakage in the 4,200-mile water main is considerable. Estimated replacement cost is $750,000 or more per mile.
• The 1,000 or so blocks of vaulted sidewalks built following the Great Chicago Fire, mainly on the near Northwest Side, are in various stages of decay, with excavation and repair running as high as several hundred thousand dollars per block. In some cases, replacement costs exceed the value of surrounding development. (Vaulted sidewalks are hollow walkways that were built on vertical supports about six or more feet off the ground to improve the city drainage system.)
• The city has nearly 3,700 miles of streets. Reconstruction of a four-lane street runs $2.5 million per mile.

The list goes on and on. The costs, said Haider, are staggering.

A study of Chicago's neighborhoods last year, commissioned by Mayor Jane Byrne, tells much the same story. The study, conducted by the urban consulting firm of Melaniphy & Associates, said the city's physical plant is "antiquated and deteriorating," a condition that "far outstrips the resources available to repair and replace it."

The city has a five-year capital improvement budget of $3.3 billion, but most of it is earmarked for transportation projects, such as the extension of rapid transit to O'Hare Airport, or for new construction, such as police stations and branch libraries. About 25 percent of the money is being taken from the interstate transfer fund, previously earmarked for the proposed Crosstown Expressway and Franklin Street Subway, which have been scrapped.

Street work costing $167 million is underway this year, including major street and bridge improvements and street resurfacing. But an average of only $95 million a year in street work is planned for the next four years. Of the $167 million being spent this year, $63 million is for resurfacing; but an average of only $10 million a year is to be spent on resurfacing in the next four years.

Twelve miles of sewer work is underway this year and an average of five miles a year is planned for each of the next three years. But that's a total of only 27 miles in a 4,200-mile system.

Chicago, of course, is not the only city with a deteriorating infrastructure. Some, notably New York and Cleveland, are considered to be in much worse shape.

The principal reason for the problem is the shortage of money. With limited budgets, it's easier to make cuts on maintenance and capital improvement than on everyday operations. The federal government has drastically cut its aid to local governments, local tax bases are lower, interest rates are up, and the local bond market is inactive.

Jerome Butler, the city's public works commissioner, claims the city government is doing more than ever before to deal with deterioration, but he concedes that much more needs to be done.

"There has been a kind of an awakening throughout the country that it's necessary to reinvest in the cities," Butler said in an interview. "If we don't do something, we're not going to have viable cities tomorrow. It [the awakening] is a good thing. People are becoming aware of the problem, and there is a growing awareness in the political structure, where the priorities are established."

He said the city currently has a "massive" highway and bridge program underway in addition to such projects as the elevated rapid transit tracks in the Loop, subway improvements, the Jackson Park elevated on the South Side, the O'Hare rapid transit line, major improvements at the airport itself, and creation of a new main library.

"But that's not to say we're going to solve our problems forever," he said. "We're doing a great deal compared to a few years ago. What we don't have is as good a handle on the problem as we should have. We need to do the engineering surveys and gather quantitative material. We're going to be faced at some point with addressing the question of continuing the renewal process and looking for additional dollars after the interstate transfer money is used up. We haven't found a long-range solution yet."

October 1982 | Illinois Issues | 39