Since it follows the curving path of the Chicago River, Lower Wacker Drive is the only street in the city that adopts both North–South and East–West designations.

In 1909, architects Daniel Burnham and Edward H. Bennett drew up a plan for the Commercial Club of Chicago to unify the city's urban design and increase its physical beautification.

The original double-decker road, replacing South Water and River Streets, was completed in 1926 at a cost of $8 million and named after Charles Wacker.

[3] Extensions east were built in 1963 and 1975, with the latter taking it to Lake Shore Drive, and a new lower level starting at Stetson Avenue.

The original upper deck was crumbling, and the entire roadway did not meet modern standards for road widths and clearances.

Using a specially-developed post-tensioned, reinforced, high-performance concrete cast-in-place system, the new road deck was expected to have a lifespan of 75–100 years.

[5] In spring of 2010, work commenced on rebuilding the north–south section of Wacker, from Randolph Street to Congress Parkway, including the upper and lower levels.