Obama rally on Oct. 30 to bring parking and traffic restrictions

Update: Please note new information for re-routed bus lines

President Barack Obama is scheduled to appear at a major political rally on the Midway Plaisance on Saturday, Oct. 30. Community members seeking more information on the event can visit the organizers’ page here.

The event will require street closures and parking restrictions on many streets in the Hyde Park neighborhood. On Saturday, the city of Chicago plans to close all of the streets in an area extending from 58th St. in the north to 61th St. in the south, and from Cottage Grove Ave. in the west to Stony Island Ave. in the east. There will be no parking in the affected areas starting at 6 a.m. Saturday, and all traffic will be banned starting at noon. The restrictions are in effect until midnight Saturday.

University community members and employees should plan on using alternate parking and transportation arrangements on Saturday. The University-owned parking garage at 55th St. and Ellis Ave. will be open for free parking on Saturday, though available spaces may be limited. Medical Center visitors still can access 58th St. from Cottage Grove Ave. in order to reach the hospital.

Bus routes in the area will be re-routed as a result of the closures. For updates, please visit the University’s Transportation and Parking site, or follow transportation and parking updates on Twitter. Setup preparations for the event may also cause parking changes in advance of Saturday; car owners should check city alerts and signage on affected streets as the event approaches.

Please be aware that as with any presidential event, extraordinarily high security will be in effect at the Midway rally, which is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Residents and community members should be prepared to cooperate with added law enforcement precautions and requests.

Some preparations for Saturday’s event are still being finalized. We will update this news page as the University receives more information. Please check here or the University’s home page regularly for additional information as it becomes available.

Bus update: These are the revised bus routes for Saturday, Oct. 30:

South Route: 57th St. and University to 57th and Cottage Grove; 57th and Cottage Grove to 61st and Cottage Grove; 61st and Cottage Grove to 61st and Kenwood

Central Route: 57th St. and Ellis to 56th and Ellis; 56th and Ellis to 56th and Blackstone; 56th and Blackstone to 55th and Blackstone; 55th and Blackstone to 55th and Hyde Park Blvd.; 55th and Hyde Park Blvd. to 56th and Hyde Park Blvd.; 56th and Hyde Park Blvd. to 56th-Lake Park Ave.; 56th and Lake Park Ave. to 57th and Lake Park Ave., 57th and Lake Park Ave. to 57th and Ellis.