(Above) Map showing in red the area that will be closed and viewing areas in green. (Click on image to view larger version.)

October 19, 2014 – Nik Wallenda will have a lot of elbow room when he walks a high wire from Marina City to Leo Burnett Building on November 2. The area 588 feet below him will be closed to pedestrians, vehicles, and boats.

According to information from the Chicago Police Department released on Friday, the Chicago River bridges at State Street and Dearborn Street will be closed from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Between State and Dearborn, Wacker Drive will be closed on the south side of the river along with Marina City’s riverfront plaza on the north side.

The river itself will be closed to watercraft from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event will be broadcast live on Discovery Channel during that time. Wallenda will begin his walks around 7 p.m. and the entire stunt – Marina City to Leo Burnett, then Marina City’s east tower to its west tower – will take 30 to 45 minutes.

The police will decide when streets can re-open and say it could be later than 9 p.m.

There will still be access to Marina City from State and Dearborn, access to the Renaissance Hotel, and to Leo Burnett Building’s Catch 35 restaurant. However, Marina City’s parking ramps will be closed from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Public viewing will be on Wacker Drive – from Clark Street to Dearborn Street to the west and from Wabash Avenue to State Street to the east.

Musco Lighting will have equipment in the north lane of Wacker Drive between LaSalle Street and Clark Street, and between Wabash Avenue and Michigan Avenue. Production staging will take place on the north sidewalk and curb lane of Wacker Drive between Wabash Avenue and State Street and on the east sidewalk and curb lane of Dearborn Street between Kinzie Street and the bridge.

A memo from Marina City’s residential property manager on Friday asks residents to not have balcony lights on during the event and to refrain from grilling or using laser pointers, camera flash, and drones – and not yelling or making “loud disturbing sounds.”

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