January 12, 2024

Alderman Reilly Reports

Alderman Reilly's Office Closed on Monday, January 15 in Remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, Alderman Reilly’s Office will be closed on Monday, January 15th.

Additionally, City Hall, City of Chicago governmental offices and Chicago Public Libraries will be closed in honor of Dr. King’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.

Winter Weather Tips

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Cook County in effect until Saturday, January 13 at 12pm. Impacts include falling and blowing snow resulting in white out conditions with zero visibility at times, making travel extremely difficult, if not impossible. The week of Monday, January 15, 2024, we are expecting the temperatures to be in the negatives.

The Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) issues several alerts and notifications to keep people up to date on weather conditions and emergencies. Sign up for emergency alerts at NotifyChicago.org.

Snow Command

The Department of Streets & Sanitation is prepared with 425,000 tons of salt stationed at salt piles throughout the city.
Click here for the Chicago Snow Plow Tracker to review real-time road conditions.
The City’s winter overnight parking ban is in effect from December 1, 2023 through April 1, 2024, to ensure crews can quickly salt and plow the streets during a winter storm. Please check the posted street signs for parking restrictions.
Reminder to all home, business, and property owners to clear snow from all sidewalks adjacent to their property, including any crosswalk ramps. Click here for shoveling guidelines.

Warming Centers

The Department of Family & Support Services activates warming areas at the six community service centers when temps are at or below 32 degrees.

The warming areas are open Monday-Friday, 9am to 5pm
On evenings, weekends or holidays, city-operated facilities including libraries and park facilities might also serve as warming areas, if needed.
Residents must wear a face covering while in the warming areas.
Those seeking a warm place to go after hours can also call 3-1-1 to be connected with available services. Individuals requiring emergency overnight shelter should also call 3-1-1, visit 311.Chicago.gov or download the CHI311 app to ensure residents are aware of the City's designated warming areas. Residents are also encouraged to check on relatives, neighbors and friends during a winter weather emergency.
A list of community service center locations is available along with information and multilingual fliers containing warming center information in English, Spanish and Polish also are posted on DFSS's website at Chicago.gov/FSS.

Cold-Weather Tips

Space heaters are not recommended; however, if used, be sure they are UL certified and at least 3 feet from anything that can ignite. Click here for safety tips for portable heaters.
To prevent frozen pipes, make sure that warm air is circulating throughout the home and keep a trickle of water running. Click here for more tips to avoid frozen pipes.
Help your pets remain happy and healthy during the colder months by following these cold weather pet care tips.
Motorists should take extra precautions to winterize vehicles and have necessary supplies on-the-go. Keep in mind, disabled vehicles or distracted driving can cause accidents, impact traffic and others or require emergency services.
During periods of extreme winter weather, the CTA takes increased efforts to keep service operating as close to schedule as possible for our customers, and to do so safely. Click here for information about CTA preparedness.
Residents should know the signs and care of frostbite and hypothermia. For Winter preparation information visit, Chicago.gov/OEMC for details and links to other local, state and federal resources.

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 [email protected] or 312-744-3062.

Holiday Tree Recycling

The Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS), in partnership with the Chicago Park District, is hosting their annual Holiday Tree Recycling Program at 27 locations throughout the City of Chicago.

Each year, thousands of trees are mulched through the program, diverting trees from landfills and creating mulch for city residents, local parks and forests.

Live and natural holiday trees can be dropped off inside the tree recycling corrals at the designated locations. All ornaments, lights, tinsel, and tree stands must be removed before the tree is dropped off, and plastic bags used for transport should also be removed prior to placing the trees in the corrals.

Below are the details for this year's event.

400 North Lake Shore Drive:

Construction Update

Related Midwest has completed the majority of clearing and fencing the site at 400 North Lake Shore Drive to begin construction. Next week, a large crane and excavation equipment will arrive in order to begin mobilization. No street closures are required as part of mobilization. All deliveries will be unloaded within their site between the hours of 8 AM - 8 PM.

In October 2023, Alderman Reilly and the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents (SOAR) co-hosted a community meeting with Related Midwest to discuss the start of construction at 400 North Lake Shore Drive. If you were unable to attend, click here to watch a recording of the video, or here to review the presentation deck. Visit our website here for more information regarding this planned development.

CAPS Meetings

18th District: (312-742-5778 / [email protected])

Beat 1824 CAPS meeting will be held on Thursday, January 18th at 5pm.
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 / [email protected])

Beat 121 CAPS meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 10th at 3pm.

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

445 E Illinois

On Thursday, January 18, there will be a filming inside 445 E Illinois Street. They'll be filming interior scenes in the Lofts for a Bank of America commercial. Crew is small, and no heavy machinery is coming in – just trucks & vans with lightweight equipment.

Parking will be prohibited at the following locations during the filming:

West side of Peshtigo Ct from Grand Ave to Illinois St
East side of McClurg Ct. from Water St to 465 N McClurg Ct

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Sergio Castro (location manager) at 312-715-7446.

Photoshoot

On Thursday, January 18, a photoshoot is occurring at 363 W Erie Street. During the filming, parking fill be prohibited at the following locations from 6am to 2pm:

West side of N Sedgwick St from W Huron St to W Erie St
South side of W Huron St from Sedgwick to 361 W Huron
South side of W Erie St from 375 W Erie St to N Orleans St

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Sergio Castro (location manager) at 312-715-7446.

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.

Street Resurfacing

The following resurfacing projects will begin at the beginning of November 2023:

New Street, between East North Water and East Illinois
New Street, between East North Water and River Drive
River Drive, between North New Street and North McClurg Court
McClurg Court, between River Drive and East North Water
Huron, between Hudson and Sedgwick
Erie, between Hudson and Sedgwick

Crews will grind away the top layer of asphalt first and return within two weeks to install new asphalt. The entire process can take 3 weeks to complete (weather dependent).

Canal Street Viaduct Project:

Beginning the week of December 4, 2023, there will be night work for the preliminary stage in advance of the viaduct demolition on Canal between Jackson and Adams. This night work will involve activities that cannot be performed when the Chicago Union Station is open to the public.

During this preliminary night work, access to the east sidewalk of Canal Street between Adams and Jackson and the entrance to Union Station/222 South Riverside will be limited but maintained. Please note that this will only be for night work during this stage of work. Full access, similar to the current daytime configuration, will be restored each morning.

This preliminary work is anticipated to take approximately four weeks with the night work taking approximately two weeks.

PGL River North Project

Peoples Gas began a gas main project in River North. PGL will be working at the following locations:

Franklin, from Huron to Chicago
Superior, from Wells to Orleans
Chicago, from Orleans to LaSalle

The project will be completed at the end of 2023.

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.