Alderman Reilly's Office Closed November 27 and 28 in Observance of Thanksgiving

Alderman Reilly’s office will be closed on Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28 for the Thanksgiving holiday. Chicago government offices, as well as all Chicago Public Library locations, will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.

If you require non-emergency city services, please call 311, or dial 911 if you require immediate assistance.

Alderman Reilly in the Media

On Monday, Alderman Reilly and 24 of his colleagues defeated the Mayor’s proposed head tax in the Committee on Finance. During the Committee meeting, Alderman Reilly stated that “there is no amount of [lobbying] money that is going to convince us that a head tax is good for Chicago.” The Alderman’s full comments can be heard here.

The head tax proposal could still be revised and voted on by the City Council, but that will not happen until December. After this victory in the Finance Committee, Alderman Reilly spoke at a press conference with several local outlets about the dangers of the Mayor’s proposed budget and the fight that lies ahead in protecting Chicago’s taxpayers.

The Alderman expressed the need for the Mayor to go back and correct his budget proposal. Alderman Reilly delivered a clear message to ABC7: “If you want to accelerate our head-first dive into an economic death spiral, pass this head tax. That is effectively what you are doing.” To view more comments from Alderman Reilly, c lick here (skip to ~1:30).

Upcoming Holiday Events in the 42nd Ward

The City of Chicago’s holiday and winter season events ramp up in the city this weekend with gatherings and increased traffic and travel throughout the city. The following events are happening nearby:

Millennium Park Tree Lighting Tonight

Tonight, the 112th annual Chicago Christmas Tree Lighting will take place in Millennium Park. The tree will be placed near the corner of Michigan Ave and Washington St. The tree lights will be lit around 6pm this evening and will remain lit until January 11.

Salt trucks will be placed on Michigan Ave at Randolph St and Monroe St. CTA buses will be temporarily rerouted to avoid the area. Additionally, the following roads will be closed from 10am to 11:59pm today (11/21):

Michigan Ave from Randolph to Monroe
Garland Ct from Randolph to Monroe
Washington St from Michigan to Garland
Madison St from Michigan to Garland

All streets will be reopened by 11:59 tonight (11/21).

Attendees are encouraged to arrive early at any of the following four entrances:

Northwest corner of Pritzker Pavilion
Randolph and Michigan
Monroe and Michigan
Southwest corner of Pritzker Pavilion

Magnificent Mile Lights Festival This Weekend

Tomorrow, 11/22, the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival will return to Michigan Avenue. The parade will begin at 5:30 at the corner of Oak St and Michigan Ave. The parade will move south and will finish with a fireworks display over the Chicago River at the end of the parade route around 7:15pm. The event is free to attend and will include musical performances, holiday-themed activities, and balloon floats.

Vehicular traffic will be prohibited at the following locations during the listed times:

Saturday, 11/22 from 8am - 7pm
Dearborn Street from Maple St to Delaware Pl
Oak Street from State St to Clark St
Walton Street from State St to Clark St
Clark Street, east curb lane from Oak St to Delaware St
Saturday, 11/22 from 9am - 5pm
Michigan Avenue from N Water St to Chicago River
Saturday, 11/22 from 3pm - 7:45pm
Oak Street from Dearborn St to Michigan Ave
Michigan Avenue from Oak St to Wacker Dr
Saturday, 11/22 from 3pm - 7pm
DuSable Bridge (pedestrian traffic prohibited)
Saturday, 11/22 from 3:30pm - 9pm (curb lanes)
Upper Columbus Drive from Wacker Dr to Randolph St
Randolph Street from Michigan Ave to Columbus Dr

For a more detailed breakdown of the event’s street closures, click here. For more information about the festival, please visit themagnificentmile.com/lights-festival.

Christkindlmarket

Christkindlmarket opened today in Daley Plaza (50 W Washington St). The festival is open 11am - 9pm Friday through Saturday and 11am - 8pm Sunday through Thursday. This annual event celebrates Chicago’s German heritage with food, warm drinks, gifts, and activities for all ages. Residents can expect rolling closures around the event on Washington Street and Clark Street. The festival remains open until December 24.

Thanksgiving Day Parade

The annual Chicago Thanksgiving Parade will step off on State Street on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 27 at 8am. Residents can expect rolling closures between 5am and 2pm on Thanksgiving Day. State Street, from Roosevelt Rd to Wacker Dr, will be closed. Additionally, all streets bounded by Wacker Dr, Wabash Ave, Roosevelt Rd, and Clark St will be blocked for pedestrian and television staging.

The parade will step off at Ida B. Wells Dr and State St at 8am and will travel north to Randolph St, where marchers will disband. Residents are encouraged to plan in advance and allow extra time for travel due to rolling traffic reroutes, closures, and increased pedestrian congestion. CTA train and bus reroutes can be found here. The parade will be broadcast live on CBS2.

This year's event will feature dozens of floats, balloons, and performances. For more information and to view a complete lineup of this year's participants, please visit chicagothanksgivingparade.com.

CAPS Meetings

18th District: (312-742-5778 / CAPS.018District@chicagopolice.org)

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

1st District: (312-745-4381 / CAPS.001District@chicagopolice.org)

Beat 114 CAPS meeting will be held at 3pm via Zoom on Wednesday, December 3.

For zoom links and other information about 1st District CAPS meetings, please email CAPS.001District@chicagopolice.org. To find your appropriate beat to attend your CAPS meeting, please click here.

42nd Ward Traffic Closures & Construction Projects

Ohio / Ontario Kennedy Expressway Feeder Ramp Closures

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has begun stage 3 of its work on the Ohio / Ontario Street Feeder Ramps. IDOT's press release on these closures can be found here. The following closures will be in place:

Friday, November 21
Full closure of the Ohio St ramp from midnight - 7am
Sunday, November 23 (tentative)
Ontario St ramp single closure from 11pm to 5am to complete the grooving work on the newly installed deck
Monday, November 24 (tentative)
Full closure of the Ontario St ramp from 11pm - 5am
Tuesday, November 25 (tentative)
Full closure of the Ontario St ramp from 11pm - 5am

Bridge Construction Updates

As reported in a past Reilly Report, construction continues on several downtown bridges, and Alderman Reilly has expressed his frustration with CDOT for a lack of coordination and planning. Traffic aides have been placed on Kingsbury at Chicago, Grand, and Erie to ease congestion. Stay tuned for future updates regarding traffic aides, detours, and closures.

The State Street Bridge project is estimated to be completed by the beginning of 2026, the approximate completion date for the Chicago Avenue Bridge is January 2027, and the Lake Street Bridge will be completed by the end of February 2028.

River North CTA Bus Reroutes and Navy Pier Schedule Revision

Due to excessive congestion in River North, the westbound #66 bus will no longer make stops at Hudson or Kingsbury on Chicago Ave. This schedule now matches that of the eastbound #66 bus. Additionally, the #66 and #8 buses will now be rerouted southbound via Wells St instead of Kingsbury St to access Chicago Ave.

In response to resident concerns and at Alderman Reilly’s request, the first westbound CTA #124 bus will now depart Navy Pier at 8:08am. This change will go into effect on December 21.

Lake Street Bascule Bridge Construction Update

Full closures are in place currently. During this work, CTA Green and Pink lines will operate normally, except for two 12-day planned closures in Fall 2026 and Spring 2027. The work on the Lake Street Bascule Bridge is expected to be completed by the end of February 2028. For a revised detour map, click here.

State / Lake CTA Station Upgrade

CDOT and CTA continue work to transform the 108-year-old CTA train station at State & Lake. The work will affect the CTA bus routes listed here. Lake St has been reduced to one lane at the site, and State St has been reduced to one lane in each direction between Wacker Dr and Randolph St. The new station is expected to be finished in 2029.

114 E Oak Façade Work

A partial sidewalk closure is in place for construction on the façade at 114 E Oak. 8 feet of sidewalk clearance will be maintained, and the barricades around the construction site will be removed by February 2026.

830 N Michigan Façade Work

Contractors are completing work on the façade at 830 N Michigan Ave. A temporary sidewalk closure is in place until early December. The façade is fully enclosed with a temporary wall, allowing a portion of the sidewalk in front of 830 N Michigan to remain open to pedestrians.