January 19, 2024

Alderman Reilly Reports

Alderman Reilly Expresses Concerns About Homeless Encampment Turned into Open Air Drug Markets & Propane Tanks at the Committee on Ethics and Oversight

On Thursday, January 18, Alderman Reilly attended the Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight’s Committee Hearing on the Office of Inspector General’s audit of Department of Family and Support Services Outreach to Encampments of People Experiencing Homelessness. To review the Inspector General’s report, click here.

During the Hearing, Alderman Reilly expressed concerns about homeless encampments being transformed into open air drug markets, and propane tanks stored under viaducts and train tracks. Please click here to listen to the Alderman’s comments (skip to 1:26:10).

Early Voting and Vote-by-Mail for the March 19 Presidential Primary

Early Voting in Downtown Chicago for the March 19, 2024 Presidential Primary Election will open at the Loop Supersite (191 N. Clark) on Thursday, February 15 at 9:00am.

Early Voting in all 50 Wards of Chicago will begin March 4, 2024 at 9:00am. Maggie Daley Field House located at 337 E Randolph Street will be the 42nd Ward’s early voting location.

All 50 Ward Early Voting sites and the Board Supersite (191 N. Clark) will also be open as vote centers on Election Day. All locations are ADA-compliant and fully accessible to voters with disabilities.

Any voter in Chicago can vote at any Early Voting site, no matter where they live in the city. Voters can choose whatever voting site is most convenient for them, including on Election Day! A list of Early Voting sites will be posted to the Board of Elections website next week.

Please click here if you would like to apply to Vote-by-Mail. Vote By Mail ballots are scheduled to be sent starting on Thursday, February 8, 2024. All Vote By Mail ballots come with postage-paid Ballot Return Envelopes.

Election Judges Needed

Alderman Reilly is looking for qualified applicants to serve as Election Judges in the 42nd Ward for the upcoming March 19, 2024 Presidential Primary Election, and the subsequent November 5, 2024 Presidential Election.

Election Judges are assigned to local polling places in the 42nd Ward and are responsible for ensuring polling places open and close on time, and that voting operations run smoothly.

Election judges earn $230 for their services, provided they complete a brief training session prior to Election Day.

To apply online to become a Judge of Election, in the 42nd Ward, with the Chicago Board of Elections Commissioners, visit pollworker.chicagoelections.gov. A paper mail-in application is also available for download here.

Should you have additional questions, please contact Robert at office@ward42chicago.com or 312-744-3062.

CAPS Meetings

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

Beat 1831 CAPS meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 23rd at 5pm.
Beat 1832 CAPS meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 23rd at 6pm.
Beat 1834 CAPS meeting will be held on Thursday, January 25th at 6pm.

Click here for 18th District meeting locations.

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

There are no remaining CAPS meetings scheduled for this district for the remainder of the month.

42nd Ward Traffic Closures & Construction Projects

Film Notices:

Chicago PD

On Tuesday, January 16 to Saturday, January 20, Chicago PD will be filming in the 34th Ward. However, their basecamp will be in the 42nd Ward. During the filming, parking at the following locations will be prohibited:

Both sides of Middle Stetson from Middle East South Water to Middle Lake
Both sides of Middle East South Water from Michigan to Middle Stetson

Helicopter Lift: 225 W Randolph

Midwest Helicopter to lift steel onto the roof of 225 W Randolph. The lift is scheduled for Saturday, January 20, from 9am to 11am. During the lift, the following will be closed to vehicles and pedestrians:

Randolph, from Wells to Franklin
Wells, from Lake to Washington

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.

Water Main project: Superior, from Orleans to Kingsbury

In Mid-October 2023, the Chicago Department of Water Management (DWM) began a water main project on West Superior Street, between North Orleans Street and North Kingsbury Street. This project will be completed in three phases.

Phase 1 will include prep work, utility locating, tree trimming, and infrastructure trenching. The trenching will begin at West Superior and North Kingsbury and move eastward.

DWM is coordinating all water shut offs with each affected building property managers. Work hours will be 7:30am to 7:00pm, Monday through Friday. All work is expected to be completed by the end of February 2024 (weather dependent). If you have any questions related to this project, please contact Bobby Lyons (project manager) at 773-724-1594 or John Bania (site foreman) at 773-663-8648.

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.