Melrose Park, Chicago Heights and Bridgeview locations for Illinois Secretary of State drivers services are among those to open on Saturdays for walk-in express services through Sept. 6.
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’ office said it hopes to reduce wait times and make it easier for people to access their services.
Walk-in customers are able to apply for or renew driver’s licenses, state ID cards or Real IDs, renew vehicle registration, apply for disability placards and change from a temporary visitor driver’s license to a standard driver’s license.
The service hour extensions come several months since the U.S. Department of Homeland Security began asking for travelers to show their Real IDs before getting on planes, though travelers without them would still end up boarding, just with extra steps.
As the deadline approached, Giannoulias urged Illinoisans to wait on visiting drivers services offices for their Real IDs unless they needed them, as the surge in customers made it difficult for some customers to access other services.
“To see these lines right outside our door here, it is probably the most frustrating thing I’ve ever seen in public life, because it does not have to be this way,” he said in May. “Again, people have had over a decade to get this done.”
The extended hours include offices at 7358 W. 87th St., Bridgeview; 570 West 209th St., Chicago Heights; and 5301 West Lexington St., Chicago.
Locations that will continue providing appointment-only services include 9901 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, Chicago; and 14434 South Pulaski Ave., Midlothian.
ostevens@chicagotribune.com