A presentation on the $200 million structural revamping of Chicago’s Wacker Drive, a massive project that has already caused one casualty, was shown to about 90 people in Lumpkin Hall Auditorium Monday.

Stan Kaderbek, deputy commissioner and chief engineer for the City of Chicago’s Department of Transportation, outlined the details of the project to a group of mostly technology students in “Chicago’s Wacker Drive Project: A Technology Challenge.”

The project, which includes a complete reconstruction of the road and complete restoration of the limestone arches along Wacker Drive, has been going on since March 2001 and has seen some dangerous moments.

One young man who was working on the site was killed last year when one of the columns the crew was trying to restore shifted.

“Construction work is inherently dangerous, and it doesn’t allow a lot of room for mistakes,” Kaderbek said. “Other than that, it’s a well-run, safe project.”

Wacker Drive was conceived in 1909 as part of a transportation plan for Chicago, and it was built between 1924 and 1926.

The structure is one of the first projects to connect water and land transportation models, and it’s one of the first two-level roadways ever built, Kaderbek said.

In 1996, Wacker Drive was identified as a priority for replacement when the two-foot thick concrete deck separating the roadways began to fail. Plans were then made to undertake the difficult task of repairing the roadway and surrounding structures.

“Reconstructing a mile of a two-level viaduct in the heart of downtown Chicago is a challenge,” Kaderbek said.

On a typical day, Wacker Drive carries 60,000 vehicles and pedestrians and is used by 20 bus routes, Kaderbek said. Daytime construction must be done sparingly, and with full cooperation from the community.

“Each phase of the project has a different type of construction that requires public outreach,” Kaderbek said.

“In Chicago, we insist upon having this outreach.”

The Wacker Drive project, which is backed by “creative financing” is set to be complete by May.

Kaderbek’s presentation was the first of many technology-related sessions sponsored by the school of technology in observance of its centennial anniversary this year. Future sessions for the Technology Symposium entitled “Technology and Us” will showcase different topics and will be held every two to three weeks throughout the fall and spring semesters.

Wafeek Wahby, industrial technology program coordinator and chair of the school of technology’s centennial committee, was impressed with Kaderbek’s presentation.

“I think it was a good start for the symposium, and we had a good turnout,” Wahby said.

Scott Mueller, junior industrial technology major with a construction concentration, thought the session was clear and informative.

“Now I have a good idea of how these projects are worked on,” Mueller said.