Chicago drivers trying to get their car emissions checked are facing long lines as the two remaining Chicago testing facilities prepare to shut down.<\/p>\n
And that means drivers\u00a0will soon have to travel to the suburbs if they want to pass the state’s emissions test.<\/p>\n
After Nov. 1, the emissions facility at 1850 W. Webster Ave. and another at 6959 W. Forest Preserve Drive Dunning will be closed. The Illinois Environmental\u00a0Protection Agency plans to also close\u00a0facilities in suburban\u00a0Tinley Park and Elk Grove Village.<\/p>\n
The changes\u00a0will require North Side drivers to travel to the testing facility near McCormick Boulevard and Touhy Avenue in Skokie.<\/p>\n
State law requires a testing facility to be located no more than 12 miles from a registered Illinois vehicle, according to agency officials, a rule the state says it will adhere to.<\/p>\n
A spokeswoman for the state EPA said the closings are part of a new contract that will “streamline” the way the state monitors emissions from older cars and save taxpayers $8 million. The existing emission centers will add capacity in an effort to make the process less time-consuming for drivers, the state says.<\/p>\n
North Siders\u00a0and other Chicagoans\u00a0who loved the proximity of the Bucktown facility\u00a0are\u00a0not happy about the closure.<\/p>\n
“Chicago is a big city and it was convenient for people to come here since the facility is near the expressway,” Portage Park resident Gabriel Jauridez said Monday. “I guess no one considered that part. I’ve always come to this one.”<\/p>\n
Kristen Klus, a Roscoe Village resident, says she will miss how convenient the Webster Avenue facility was to her home.<\/p>\n
“I’m off on Mondays and the place was only a five-minute drive for me,” Klus said. “Driving out to Skokie would take at least an hour.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chicago drivers trying to get their car emissions checked are facing long lines as the two remaining Chicago testing facilities prepare to shut down. And that means drivers\u00a0will soon have to travel to the suburbs if they want to pass the state’s emissions test. After Nov. 1, the emissions facility at 1850 W. Webster Ave. … Continue reading Chicago Drivers Face Long Lines For Emissions Tests, Will Soon Be Stranded<\/span>