Transformers 3's Chicago Brings Traffic

It seems that the six week visit to the city of Chicago by Transformers 3 will bring an unintended gift of increased traffic problems for an already congested city. The Chicago Tribune reports of a news conference held yesterday by the Office of Emergency Management and Communications about the TF3 shoot that is scheduled to run from July 10th to August 19th to tell people about the possible traffic problems the shoot will cause. As a non-Chicagoan, the important part to me is the bit about how the shoot is expected to exceed in scope what The Dark Knight filmed in the city a few years ago.

OEMC Executive Director Jose Santiago said the closures on LaSalle Street (8 p.m. July 9 to 5 a.m. July 12), the Michigan Avenue bridge (8 p.m. July 16 to 5 a.m. July 19) and Upper Wacker Drive (9 p.m. July 18 to 5 a.m. July 22) will have the most impact on traffic. He added that most of the movie's filming in Chicago will take place during daylight.

“It's an ambitious production … but we and the producers are committed to mitigating the disruptions and addressing community concerns,” said Chicago Film Office Director Rich Moskal.

What can Chicagoans expect from filming — besides traffic?

Moskal said recently a few “scenes they're planning could match if not exceed the spectacular stuff ‘The Dark Knight' production pulled off.”

Yes, he's talking about the 2008 Batman film that featured an 18-wheeler getting flipped over on LaSalle Street and a massive explosion that leveled the old Brach's Candy building on the West Side.

“Flying debris, flipping cars, stunts, that's the kind of stuff you'll probably be seeing here,” added Moskal.