The North Side emissions testing site, 1850 W. Webster Ave. View Full Caption Google Maps

LINCOLN PARK — The emissions testing site on Webster Avenue is closing Nov. 1, according to Kim Biggs, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

The closure is part of an effort by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to "streamline" the way the state monitors emissions from older cars and save taxpayers $8 million, officials said.

"The new contract reflects a more efficient, more accurate and less expensive test that will result in significant cost savings to the state," Biggs said.

The closures — which also include facilities in Dunning, suburban Tinley Park and suburban Elk Grove Village — will force all Chicago drivers from the North Side to travel to the testing facility near McCormick Boulevard and Touhy Avenue in Skokie.

However, "motorists will no long require appointments for inspection and repair facilities and most primary stations will included a second test position in each lane, which will increase throughput significantly," Biggs said.

State law requires a testing facility to be located no more than 12 miles from a registered Illinois vehicle, and that regulation will continue to be met, Biggs said.

The Webster Avenue facility created a traffic nightmare in Lincoln Park and other nearby neighborhoods in May, after drivers learned that they needed proof of an emissions test before they could renew their state license plate sticker.

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