February 16, 2024

Alderman Reilly Reports

6th Anniversary of Commander

Paul Bauer's Murder

Tuesday, February 13 marked the 6th Anniversary of Commander Paul Bauer’s murder. The Chicago Police Department 18th District held a memorial service at 1160 North Larrabee Street to honor the Commander.

The Commander was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a suspected drug dealer near the Thompson Center at 100 East Randolph Street.

Commander Bauer was a Chicago Police Officer for over 30 years, and he will be remembered for his service to the City of Chicago and its residents.

Please observe a brief moment of silence in remembrance of Commander Bauer and all the officers who have ended their watch.

Alderman Reilly's Office Closed on Monday, February 19

In observance of President's Day, Alderman Reilly’s Office will be closed on Monday, February 19th.

Additionally, City Hall, City of Chicago governmental offices, and Chicago Public Libraries will be closed in honor of President’s Day and to comply with the City of Chicago mandatory holiday schedule.

If you have a need for city services, please call 3-1-1 for non-emergency requests, or dial 9-1-1 if you require immediate assistance.

This Week at City Council

At this week’s City Council meeting, Alderman Reilly introduced two ordinances for consideration. Continue reading for a description of these key measures:

Real Estate Transfer Tax Reduction

At today's City Council meeting, Alderman Reilly introduced a Real Estate Transfer Tax Reduction (RETT) Ordinance that would affect all properties in Chicago valued under $1,000,000.

This legislation would reduce the RETT from the current 0.75% to 0.60%, which is the same tax decrease in the Bring Chicago Home referendum. Please click here to review the ordinance.

Smart Streets Pilot Program Extension

In response to the Chicago SunTimes article about Alderman Reilly’s Smart Street Pilot Program, the Alderman introduced an ordinance to extend the pilot program’s authority for another year. Please click here to review the ordinance.

Alderman Reilly looks forward to working with the Administration and his colleagues to further develop and consider these proposals. Stay tuned to Reilly Reports for further information.

10 East Ontario Helicopter Lift

On Monday, February 19, from 7am to 9pm, there will be a helicopter lift for Ontario Place Condominium Association located at 10 East Ontario Street. Due to the size of the load and helicopter being used, the pick will occur in the surface parking lot at 430 North Rush Street.

During the lift, vehicular and pedestrian traffic will be prohibited at the following locations:

Upper North Wabash Avenue, from East Hubbard Street to East Erie Street
East Ontario Street, from North Rush Street to the west side of North State Street
East Erie Street, from North Rush Street to the west side of North State Street

There will be police officers, flaggers, and barricades on-site throughout the lift.

Early Voting Open Downtown

Early Voting for the March 19, 2024 Presidential Primary Election opened earlier this week, at the Loop Supersite (191 N. Clark) and Chicago Board of Election (69 W. Washington, 6th Floor).

HOURS OF OPERATION - Supersite (191 N. Clark) & CBOE Offices (69 W. Washington)

February 15th - March 10th

Weekdays: 9:00am - 6:00pm
Saturday: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Sunday: 10:00am - 4:00pm

March 11th through March 18th

Weekdays from 9:00am to 7:00pm
Saturday: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Sunday: 10:00am - 4:00pm

Early Voting in all 50 Wards of Chicago will begin Monday, March 4, 2024 at 9:00am.

Click here to download the full Early Voting schedule and sites for the March 19, 2024 Presidential Primary Election. All locations are ADA-compliant and fully accessible to voters with disabilities.

All 50 Ward Early Voting sites and the Board Supersite (191 N. Clark) will also be open as vote centers on Election Day - March 19, 2024 from 6:00am to 7:00pm.

Thompson Center Update

As previously mentioned in Reilly Reports, Alderman Reilly rezoned the James R. Thompson Center (JRTC) from PD 270 to DC-16 at the request of Governor JB Pritzker. Rezoning the JRTC helped the State of Illinois sell the property to JRTC Holding, LLC. Google will become the building’s new occupant after extensive renovations are completed.

Renovations will begin at the end of February 2024. Work hours will be Monday-Friday, from 8am to 5pm. During remodeling, the following will be closed:

Randolph Street Side:

The arcade walk-through will be closed and construction fencing will be in-place. There will be a protected pedestrian canopy built on the sidewalk between North LaSalle and North Clark. The bike lane will remain open throughout the project.

LaSalle Street Side:

Both northbound lanes of traffic will remain open. The arcade walk-through will be closed and construction fencing will be in-place. There will be a protected pedestrian walkway between West Lake Street and West Randolph Street.

Lake Street Side:

The sidewalk between Clark and LaSalle will be closed. There will be a projected pedestrian walkway in the curb lane. The entrance to the CTA substation will remain open and protected by a canopy.

Clark Street Side:

The sidewalk, curb lane, and one traffic lane on the west side of Clark, between Lake and Randolph will be closed and fenced off. Pedestrians will be directed to the east side of the street.

The tower crane, swing stage/mast will be on this side of the building. Construction vehicles will enter/exit the site from Clark.

This project is expected to be completed in February 2026).

CAPS Meetings

18th District: (312-742-5778 / CAPS018District@chicagopolice.org)

There are no CAPS meetings scheduled for the month of February.

Click here for 18th District meeting locations.

1st District: (312-745-4381 / CAPS001District@chicagopolice.org)

There are no CAPS meetings scheduled for the month of February.

42nd Ward Traffic Closures & Construction Projects

Helicopter Lift: 19 E Ohio:

On Saturday, February 18, Midwest Helicopter will conduct a lift at 19 E Ohio Street form 9am to 11am. During the lift, the following will be closed:

Wabash, from Ontario to Grand
Ohio, from State to Rush

Michigan Avenue Bridge Work

On Monday, February 26, CDOT will begin repairs to the sidewalk on the west side of the Michigan Avenue Bridge. The will be closed for up to two weeks but will be completed and fully opened to traffic before St. Patrick's Day weekend. During working hours, the southbound curb lane will also be impacted. CTA will be notified and we will watch these impacts and make adjustments where we can.

Pedestrians will be detoured to the east side sidewalk.

DWM Project: Lakeshore East Park

The Department of Water Management (DWM) will began excavation in Lakeshore East park, north of the playground. DWM's sewer line is clogged at this location - causing back-ups in a near-by building.

Work will occur from 8am-5pm. The work area will be fenced off and will be inaccessible during the project. The project is expected to be completed within 30 days (weather dependent).

Restoration will occur in late spring/early summer.

Crane Lift 474 N Lake Shore Drive:

Stevenson Crane was hired to lift T-Mobile cell equipment onto the roof at 474 N Lake Shore Drive. The lift will occur on Tuesday, February 20 (rain days - Wednesday February 21 and Thursday February 22), from 9:30am to 2:00pm.

During the lift, the following will be closed:

Sidewalk on the south side of of Illinois, from LSD to a point 200' west thereof
Curb and traffic lane on the south side of Illinois, from LSD to a point 200' west thereof

The curb lane on the northside of Illinois will become a drive lane and the bike lane will be shifted north but remain open.

CDOT Construction: Pin & Link Plate Assembly and Expansion Joints

The Department of Transportation will begin a project to replace pin and link plate assemblies and expansion joints associated with the bridge structures of upper and intermediate Columbus Dr., Randolph St., and Stetson Ave. Pin and link plate assembly work will be performed from the underside of the bridge decks while expansion joint replacements will occur from above. The work is anticipated to begin on Monday, November 13th, 2023 and progress to completion (anticipated Fall 2024).

Work is to start along upper, intermediate, and lower levels of the following roadways:

N. Columbus Drive between E. Wacker Drive and E. Randolph Street
E. Randolph Street between N. Michigan Avenue and N. Field Boulevard
N. Stetson Avenue between E. Wacker Drive and E. Lake Street

During construction, portions of these bridge structures will be barricaded off to prohibit vehicles and pedestrians directly over the active work.

Vehicles will be shifted and/or detoured to allow the work to progress.
The sidewalk on at least one side of the roadway and crosswalks at roadway intersections will remain open for pedestrians.
Coordination of temporary access restriction may be required with private properties directly adjacent to the project.

Murphy Auditorium Renovation

Driehaus Museum purchased the Murphy Auditorium (50 E Erie) in June 2023, and began the following interior renovations:

Offices are going to be renovated
Stage has sunken – leveled out; fix accessibility issue
New elevator to go all the way to the top floor

Throughout the project, the following will be in-place:

Pedestrian canopy over the sidewalk in front of 50 E Erie
100' of curb lane will be closed in front of 50 E Erie for material deliveries and small crane

They will need to use a small crane periodically throughout the project to lift materials onto the roof that can't fit through the doorway.

LSD Bridge & Viaduct Project - September 25 to Summer 2024

The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) began working on the Lake Shore Drive Bridge and Viaduct Network between Monroe and Ontario. This work will include removing and replacing link plates, stainless steel pins, and Teflon bushings and expansion joint rehabilitation.

Upper Level Lake Shore Drive will have one permanent lane closure in each direction and an additional lane closure during off-peak hours.

Intermediate Level Lake Shore Drive will have two permanent lane closures in each direction.

This project is expected to be completed summer of 2024.

Temporary Bus Stop Elimination

Until March 2024, the westbound bus stop at Grand and St. Clair will be temporarily removed.

Stop ID Number: 761
Route Stopping: #29 – State, #65 – Grand, #120 – Ogilvie/Streeterville Express, #121 – Union/Streeterville Express

State & Lake Utility Relocations

Utility companies began relocating utilities in advance of the State and Lake CTA project. Train services will not be disrupted during utility relocations.

At least 1 lane of traffic will remain open (1 lane each direction on State St) at all times, but other driving and parking lanes may be closed.

Construction equipment and materials will be stored on the street, including during time periods between active work. Work will primarily occur 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on weekdays and 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Saturdays, but there will be limited work during nights. Utility companies are aware of and required to abide by the Chicago noise ordinance, which limits noisy work during overnight hours.

Kennedy Expressway Bridge Rehabilitation

In 2023, IDOT began rehabilitating the Kennedy Expressway (Interstate 90/94), from the Edens Expressway (I-94) junction to Ohio Street.

The estimated $150 million project consists of rehabilitating 36 bridges and the Reversible Lane Access Control system, replacing overhead sign structures, installing new signage and modernized LED lights, pavement patching, and structural painting. Additionally, Hubbard’s Cave, from Grand Avenue to Wayman Street, will be painted and new LED lighting installed.

The work will take place over three consecutive construction seasons, broken down into the following stages:

2023 – Inbound Kennedy: Click here for stage 1 fact sheet.
2024 – Reversible Express Lanes: Click here for stage 2 fact sheet.
2025 – Outbound Kennedy: Click here for stage 3 fact sheet.

The Kennedy Expressway officially opened in November 1960, with the last major rehabilitation completed in 1994. The project will improve safety, traffic flow and reliability for the more than 275,000 motorists who use the expressway each day.

Click here for a project overview.

Click here for a FAQ

Click here to see photos and videos of the project.