Tunnel Plug to Let Chicago Earn ‘City That Works’ Motto Again

After six days, engineers plugged the tunnel leak under the Chicago River that caused an underground flood and virtually shut down business in the heart of the city, officials said Sunday.

Business in the Loop, the downtown business district, is expected to resume today, a week after flooding inundated basements and forced officials to cut power to some of the nation’s largest buildings.

“Most Loop businesses will be able to reopen,” said Billy Davis, an aide to Mayor Richard M. Daley.

The last leak in the century-old system of tunnels below the Loop was plugged with concrete late Saturday. Further work to seal the plug went on Sunday.

Pumping was to begin once engineers were sure the plugs had solidified completely.

After a tunnel wall gave way last Monday, more than 250 million gallons of river water poured into the 50-mile underground network and into basements.

Once used to deliver coal, mail and freight, the system now houses electrical cables and communication lines serving downtown businesses.

The flood forced about 200,000 people to evacuate scores of buildings, including the Chicago Board of Trade, where there was an unprecedented two-day shutdown in commodities trading.

Marshall Field’s flagship State Street department store said it plans to reopen today after workers spent a week pumping water from a basement.

The Sears Tower, the world’s tallest building, was evacuated but not flooded. Two sections of the city subway system remain closed. The financial loss that drained from the city and its businesses remains untold.

Col. Randall Inouye of the Army Corps of Engineers said Sunday that it probably will take 12 days to drain all the water. Pumping could begin as early as today, he said.

The Corps estimated that plugging the leak and draining the water ultimately will cost a maximum of $12 million. The federal government will pay 75%; the state, 25%.

That estimate does not cover previous repair work or other flood damage.

Electricity had been restored to all but 11 Loop buildings, which must have their basements drained and other problems repaired before it is safe to turn power back on.