Starting Nov. 29, the Halsted Bridge at Division Street was closed, creating a detour and extra congestion for residents living in the River North Area. The detour takes cars as well as bikes east to Larrabee Street via Chicago Avenue and Division Street.

According the Dan Burke of the Chicago Department of Transportation, the reconstruction of the Halsted Street Bridge will commence in December 2011 and the projected cost of the new bridge is $15 million.

“The Halsted Bridge had reached the end of its service life,” said Burke. “When finished it will have four lanes with bike lanes and sidewalks for pedestrians.”

Gina Bonfiglio, 27, works and lives in River North. She says that one of the reasons she lives in the area is so she doesn’t have to worry about commuting to her job.

“Everything I need is right here, “Bonfiglio said. “If I cannot get somewhere by walking I will just take public transportation, that is one of the best things about Chicago,”

According to Mike Riordan, president of the River North Residents Association, Larabee Street has always been a congested street.

“The residents in River North are already used to the congestion on Larrabee as well as Chicago Avenue. People are pretty understanding about it,” said Riordan.

Riordan also believes that people in the River North area have alternative means of transportation for work. Riordan says that most residents seem to walk or take public transportation.

“The people in River North just seem to be sucking it up, when it comes to the traffic. I have heard no complaints,” said Riordan.

River North has the Brown and Purple Line station accessible at Chicago Avenue and Franklin Street and buses run on Chicago Avenue every 10 minutes, according to the CTA website.

John Wilkinson, 27, has been commuting to work in River North for the past year; the bridge closing has not affected him and he does not believe it affects many commuters.

“The only people concerned with the closing of the Halsted Bridge at Division would be people who have to commute somewhere that won’t allow them to use the highway. The rest of us just park our cars in a garage and jump on an El,” said Wilkinson.

Sharon Romack from the River North Business Association is not concerned with the rerouting of traffic onto Larabee Street. Romack says that none of the business owners in River North has come forward and complained of the closure.

“I rode the Brown Line every day to work when I lived in the South Loop. Congestion and rush hour is just a part of Chicago. Take it or leave it,” said Bonfiglio.

After clocking out from a long day at a stressful job, the last thing working men and women seeking a little carefree after hour entertainment want to worry about is how they’re going to get home if they’ve had one or two drinks too many. From public transportation, such as, the Chicago Transit Authorities trains and buses, to taxi cabs and the Metra, if you live in the city, you have choices. Not to mention walking.

“Whenever I go out, it’s usually pretty easy to just take a cab,” Sophia Diaz, resident of downtown Chicago said. “You don’t have to worry about having a designated driver, which eliminates the chances of somebody driving drunk.”

While taxis might be one easy way to go from place-to-place, other options of getting around the cities well-known nightlife scene include the “El” train and public buses.

“The El is easiest for me,” Jose Lozano, 22, resident of Logan Square said. “I only go out like twice a year since most of my time is spent working, and there’s a train stop right by my job, so it’s the most convenient whenever I do go out.”

Chicagoans are constantly in a battle of which side of town is better, the North Side or the South Side, while some fear their safety is in jeopardy the farther south they go, others find that the drinks are cheaper, and parking is easier on the North Side.

“I definitely think that the North Side is safer, especially in Wrigleyville,” Diaz said. “Drinks are cheaper, parking is cheaper if you’re driving, but it’s easier to get around if you’re walking.”

“I like the bars in Bucktown,” Nelly Hernandez, 23, resident of Bucktown said. “There is a lot of diversity, and there’s one bar called Stone Lotus, which is right by my apartment so it’s really close.”

One concern of many “riders” of public trasportation is the level of public intoxication in the evening hours.

“I see drunk people on the El everyday,” Donnie Levy, 22, resident of Hyde Park said. “I usually go out only once a month, and when I do go out to the bars or clubs, it’s really irritating to walk onto a train and be surrounded by such erratic behavior. It can also be extremely frustrating when intoxicated people get on the bus right before me and they have no fare money.”

Public transportation is a safe, easy and hassel-free way of getting home safe after a night of fun. Just be sure to know which buses and trains run throughout the night. The CTA Red and Blue Lines both provide 24-hour service. It is important to know your route home before heading out, certain buses do not run all night, and those that do may stop in isolated areas that are not well-lit.

“I’ve had to wait over an hour for a bus to get home before,” Levy said. “The train station I live by doesn’t run 24 hours-a-day, which makes it difficult which is probably why I don’t go out that much. I mean the clubs are great and I’m all for the nightlife scene, getting to and from them is a problem.”

No matter how you get home, public transportation, taxi cab or by walking, be sure to be safe.

Edens Spur

When: June 1, 2010 – June 2011

I-355: The Veterans Memorial Tollway

When: April 1- end of 2010

I-290: Dwight D. Eisenhower Expressway

When: April 1- October 2010

Congress Bridge

When: April 1 – Fall 2011

Wacker Drive

When: April 1 – 2012

Congress Parkway