February 9, 2024

Alderman Reilly Reports

Alderman Reilly's Office Closed on Monday, February 12 in Remembrance of President Abraham Lincoln's Birthday

In observance of President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, Alderman Reilly’s Office will be closed on Monday, February 12th.

Additionally, City Hall, City of Chicago governmental offices, and Chicago Public Libraries will be closed in honor of President Lincoln’s birthday 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.

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.

Early Voting & 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)

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)

Beat 122 CAPS meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 14th at 3pm.

42nd Ward Traffic Closures & Construction Projects

Helicopter Lift: 172 West Adams:

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

DWM Project: Lakeshore East Park

The Department of Water Management (DWM) will begin excavation in Lakeshore East park, north of the playground on Friday, February 9. 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.

Film Notices:

Chicago PD

Chicago PD will be filming at 211 N Middle Stetson Street on Sunday, February 11 to Monday, February 12. 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

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the City of Chicago Film Office at 312-744-6415.

LW Films

LW Films will be filming with a drone at the Ohio Place Dog Park on February 14th between the hours of 5pm-9pm and February 15th between the hours of 3am-7am.

All Pedestrians and Dogs will be able to access the park throughout the day.
While filming is taking place, the crew may intermittently ask anyone to refrain from walking near or underneath the drone. This is for your own safety and the safety of your animal. Chicago Police and members of the crew will be on hand to assist you while the filming is taking place.
The crew will limit and contain their presence as much as possible while in the park.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact any of the following: Daniel Marcus, Location Manager at 312-539-6841, Matt McGrath, Production Coordinator at 262-757-8163, or the City of Chicago Film Office at 312-744-6415.

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.

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.