The Eisenhower Canal, at last!

The Eisenhower Expressway (left) and the Eisenhower Canal (right).

   For years, the Illinois Department of Transportation has been threatening to widen the Eisenhower Expressway (I290), and local residents have been arguing that it would be better to extend public transportation. We strongly support the idea of more trains and fewer cars, but we've always dreamed of a canal between our home and downtown Chicago. Imagine water taxis taking commuters to and from work. Imagine Venetian-style gondolas at night. Best of all, imagine paddling downtown in our kayaks!
   Yesterday our dream nearly came through. Oak Park, where live, got 7.89 inches of rain in 24 hours,  flooding the Eisenhower (which was closed to traffic for several hours) and creating a lovely canal around the train tracks.

Another view of the canal (photo courtesy of Lyn Stone).