City crews are replacing the 75-year-old sewer under Talcott Avenue as part of a $7.6 million project. View Full Caption City of Chicago

NORWOOD PARK — A $7.6 million project to replace the sewer under Talcott Avenue has created a traffic "nightmare" after the closure of the intersection of Talcott and Oriole avenues has sent impatient drivers speeding through Norwood Park side streets, officials said.

Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41st) has asked Chicago Police officials to step up patrols during the expected two-month closure to control the chaos on side streets in Norwood Park, said Christopher Vittorio, a spokesman for Napolitano.

"We're calling it the Talcott nightmare," Vittorio said.

Beginning Wednesday, city crews will block off side streets near Resurrection College Prep High School and Resurrection Medical Center, preventing all but residents from turning down the narrow, tree-lined streets, Vittorio said.

The massive project will replace 12-inch sewer mains underneath Talcott Avenue with significantly larger pipes in an effort to prevent nearby homes from flooding, officials said.

Eastbound traffic will be detoured north on Canfield Avenue, east on Devon Avenue and south on Harlem Avenue, officials said.

Westbound traffic will be detoured south on Harlem Avenue, west on Bryn Mawr Avenue and north on Canfield Avenue, officials said.

While students at Resurrection College Prep have finished the school year, summer programs will take place during the closure, officials said.

A temporary entrance to the hospital campus from the west is now open at Oriole and Peterson, said hospital spokesman Tim Nelson.

Visitors and patients may only exit the hospital campus via Talcott Avenue, Nelson said.

For more information, call 773-631-2241.

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