It’s a construction permit you don’t see every day:

CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW CAST IN PLACE CONCRETE OFF RAMP EXTENSION FROM SOUTHBOUND INTERMEDIATE LAKE SHORE DRIVE

What does it mean? Well….I don’t know. There already exists an offramp from Lake Shore Drive into the 400 Lake Shore construction site, located just south of Illinois Street as soon as you pass over top of Ogden Slip. Trucks enter the site here, do what they gotta do, then exit underneath Lake Shore Drive and turn left onto a ramp that takes them up to northbound “intermediate” Lake Shore Drive.

Are they widening the existing ramp? The permit says “NEW” ramp, so I presume another ramp is coming. The permit also states “…BEARING ON PROPOSED CAISSONS AND STRUCTURE OF BELOW GRADE PARKING LEVELS.” Maybe this is one of the caissons on the site that sits considerably south of the cofferdam. Again, I really don’t know. I’ll just watch and see what happens.

Which is all to say, that’s just one more thing to watch for at 400 Lake Shore, as a cool construction project gets a little bit cooler. Not to mention we’re expecting the tower crane to arrive this week.