Mark Jones visited the Real ID Supercenter in downtown Chicago early Saturday only to find it closed, leaving him frustrated, out nearly $50 for parking and without the updated identification he’d been trying to secure for weeks.
“I got up at a quarter to 6 a.m. and came all the way downtown, only to find out the place was closed,” said Jones, 29, of Bellwood, who works for American Airlines. “There was a line full of people, some with their children, only to find out the location was not open.”
The Real ID Supercenter at 191 N. Clark St., opened in March because of high demand ahead of a May 7 federal deadline that will see the new ID required to board a plane, is open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. But according to Jones, a phone representative told him the downtown facility would be open for Saturday walk-ins.
The state has expanded DMV hours on Saturdays at 18 locations and opened the downtown supercenter to help with the surge of applicants, but there’s been confusion over requirements and where to go…