April 21, 2023

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Alderman Reilly Reports

Downtown Teen Trends

Many residents have contacted our office with legitimate safety concerns in response to the large mobs of juveniles in Millennium Park last weekend. Alderman Reilly agrees this lawlessness is unacceptable and has discussed these concerns with the 1st District Commander.


Additionally, Alderman Reilly and his colleagues on City Council will be demanding a briefing to ensure that CPD has crafted a plan to be implemented immediately to prevent incidents like this from occurring again in the coming weeks and months. Although he believes that everyone is welcome to enjoy downtown, everyone is expected to respect our City's laws and conduct themselves accordingly. Click here to read NBC Chicago/Sun-Times reporting of the incident and Alderman Reilly’s reaction.

Clark Street Extended Dining Closure -

Survey Closed

On April 12, 2023, Alderman Reilly launched a survey to gather public input about the closure of Clark Street between Grand Avenue and Kinzie Street to allow for extended outdoor dining. Over the past 10 days, nearly 3,000 responses have been received! 


Alderman Reilly takes constituent feedback very seriously. All of your comments will be read and carefully considered.  New legislation is also needed in order to continue the EOD program on Clark Street or in other locations throughout the City. Closures will not be implemented until the City Council passes an ordinance. Stay tuned to Reilly Reports for survey results and further information about the program.

42nd Ward Summer Internship Opportunity

Every summer, the City allocates funding to each alderman to hire one intern. The ten-week program is scheduled to start Monday, June 5, and run through Friday, August 11. Participants are required to work 40 hours per week. 


The selected intern must have completed at least one semester/quarter during the spring of 2023 from any accredited college or university. Additionally, the intern must provide proof that he/she is a resident of the 42nd Ward. 


If you would like to be considered for the program, please email your resume and cover letter to office@ward42chicago by Thursday, April 27 at 4pm.

Central Area Plan - Webinar

The Chicago Department of Planning and Development (DPD) is beginning public outreach this month for the Central Area Plan Update, a two-year planning process that will engage residents citywide to create a contemporary framework for downtown improvements over the next 20 years. An informational webinar will be held on April 27th at 6 pm. Click here to register


The study will leverage the eight pillars of We Will Chicago and include evaluations around existing and future land use in the Downtown (D) zoning district. The seven-square-mile study area is approximately bounded by Division Street on the north; portions of Ogden Avenue, Ashland Avenue and Halsted Street on the west; portions of Cermak Road and 26th Street on the south; and Lake Michigan on the east. Click here to learn more.

Area Trimming Program

The Bureau of Forestry (BOF) has instituted a new Area Trimming Program. Instead of trimming trees based on 311 requests, BOF has divided each ward into grids and plans to trim every tree within each grid. This will ensure proper maintenance of our trees.


Starting Friday, April 21, and every Friday after, BOF will have 2-3 tree trimming crews in the 42nd Ward (weather dependent). BOF will begin trimming trees in the Gold Coast and Northern Streeterville.


Please look out for temporary No Parking Tow Zone signs. These signs should be posted 48 hours in advance.


Please see the map below for the streets within BOF's first 42nd Ward grid.

Demolition Notice: 208-212 South State Street

The General Services Administration (GSA) hired Burglund Construction to demo 208-212 South State Street, due to structural failure. 


Building demolition began on Sunday, April 16 at 10:00pm. Work will occur six days a week - Sundays 10:00pm to 6:00am (the following Monday), Monday through Friday 8:00pm to 6:00am (the following Saturday). The demolition project is expected to be completed by June 1 (weather dependent). 


The remaining project scope consists of façade repairs to the adjoining buildings (214 South State Street and 202 South State Street) and landscaping/infill of 208-212 South State Street’s foundation. This work will occur after demolition is complete and last until July 1 (weather dependent).

Larrabee Street Lighting Project

The Larrabee Street Lights Project began on Wednesday, April 12,  pending clearance from and coordination with existing utilities, current work schedule fluctuations, and weather permitting. The work area includes Larrabee, from Chicago to Erie. 


The project was funded by Alderman Reilly via his Aldermanic Menu. Aldridge Electric is the contractor for this project and Globetrotters Engineering is providing resident engineering services.

 

The work will include the installation of foundations, boring of underground conduits, cable pulling, the installation of new arterial lighting poles with piggyback lights, LED Smart Lighting luminaires, and the restoration of concrete sidewalks and parkways disturbed by the construction. The existing light poles will be removed once the new lighting system is functioning properly.

 

During construction, temporary “No Parking” signs will be periodically installed as required for each activity listed above so that work may be performed safely. These temporary signs will restrict parking during working hours, and residents can park normally after the posted hours and overnight, and usually all day on weekends.

 

The existing lights will remain working until the new lighting system is functional. If no lighting is observed at night at any time, please notify our office.

 

Should you have any questions at any time during this course of this project, please feel free to contact our office, Orrin James at orrin.james@gec-group.com, or 773-908-126 or Robert Loftus at robert.loftus2@cityofchicago.org, or 312-617-4679.

Grant Park Earth Day Clean-up

CAPS Meetings

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

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

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

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

12th District: (312-746-8306 / CAPS012District@chicagopolice.org)

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

42nd Ward Traffic Closures & Construction Projects

Helicopter Lift: 549 W Randolph


Midwest Helicopter was hired to lift HVAC units onto the roof of 549 W Randolph Street. The lift is scheduled for Saturday, April 29, from 9am-11am During the lift, pedestrian and vehicular access will be prohibited at the following locations:


  • Randolph, from DesPlaines to Clinton
  • Jefferson, from Lake to Washington


Water/Sewer Connection: 311 W. Huron Street


Beginning next week, Norman mechanical plans to begin the process of tying in the water and sewer connections for the 311 West Huron building. 


The work will take place in two phases. Starting on the south side of the street and moving to the north side of the street.  


At no time will the street be completely closed and one lane of traffic will be maintained at all times.


The water/sewer connection is expected to be completed by May 5.


Dearborn Street Bridge:


The Chicago Department of Transportation has issued a full closure of the Dearborn Street Bridge until Saturday, May 6 (weather dependent).


Film Notices


Webster Productions


On Thursday, April 27 and Saturday, April 29, Webster Productions will be filming in the Loop. During the filming, parking at the following locations will be prohibited:


  • South side of Wacker Dr from State St to Wabash Ave (4/27 - 6am-7pm)
  • Both sides of Wells from Hubbard St to Kinzie St (4/29 - 6am-7pm)
  • South side of Kinzie from State St to Wabash Ave (4/29 - 6am-7pm)


St. Clair Water Main Project


The Department of Water Management will be mobilizing to St Clair for completion of the water main replacement work that began last fall. There is a very small portion of work to be completed that will take just about 2 weeks and include the following scope:


  • This work is to install the three connections of the new 8" Watermain after the stoppage last October 2022.
  • The DWM crew will connect this 8" WM along St. Clair and from E. Ohio to E. Illinois.
  • Highway and Safety Corp. will install traffic signs for road closure starting on Apr. 17 while the digging starts the following week, on Apr. 24 
  • These activities will be effective from 04/17 -5/12/23.


This work should be minimally invasive and not involve extended working hours outside of the normal day. All of the original stake holders have been included in this message but little will be affected


Lake Shore Drive Resurfacing Project


On Sunday, April 16, the Chicago Department of Transportation began resurfacing portions of Lake Shore Drive, between West LaSalle Drive and Lawrence. The work will include milling and resurfacing of the existing asphalt roadway pavement and repairs to the concrete deck of the Lake Shore Drive Viaduct over Montrose Drive.


The following segments of Lake Shore Drive will be resurfaced:


  • Northbound lanes between West Lawrence Avenue and West LaSalle Drive
  • Southbound lanes between West Lawrence Avenue and West Irving Park Road


All work will occur during the evening and overnight hours and off-rush hour times. Lanes will reopen to traffic during the daytime. 


This project is expected to be completed in July 2023. 


411 W Chicago Water Main Connection


On Monday, April 10, Celtic will begin a water service install at 411 West Chicago Avenue. The building's connect to the water main is on the south side of Chicago, between Sedgwick and Hudson.

 

The project timeline is as follows:

  • 4/10/23: Saw Cut, Mobilize, & Traffic Control 2 days
  • Remove Concrete: 4/12/23
  • Excavate and Place Pipe 4/13/23
  • Tap & Test: 4/24/23
  • RPZ & Water Meter & Temp Pump 4/26/23
  • City Build Masonry Vaults: 4/26/23
  • Backfill & Concrete: 5/1/23

 

Celtic will set up traffic control by 8 A.M. and will have all lanes of traffic open back up by 5 P.M. All work is weather dependent.


431 N Dearborn Façade Project


Crane construction began a façade project at 431 N Dearborn this week. Throughout the project, the sidewalks adjacent to the building on Dearborn and Hubbard will be closed. Pedestrians are directed to walk in a projected pedestrian walkways in the curb lanes.


The project is expected to be completed in October 2023 (weather dependent).


ComCast Work:


On Thursday, March 16, Electric Conduit will be installing conduit at McClurg Court and East North Water Street. Trenching will occur on the south side of East North Water Street, from McClurg Court to a point 200' east thereof.


The project is expected to take 4 weeks to complete.



1043 N Rush Demolition


Demolition of 1043 N Rush Street will begin on Monday, March 6. Work hours will be Monday-Friday, from 8am to 5pm.


Throughout the the demolition process, the sidewalk in front of 1043 N Rush Street will be closed to pedestrian traffic. Pedestrians will be redirected at Bellevue/Rush and Cedar/Rush.


The demolition process is expected to be complete by April 28. After demolition is complete, the construction of a new two-story building will begin.


225 W Randolph Renovation:


The Onni Group began renovating 225 W Randolph. Throughout the project, there will be pedestrian canopies at the following locations:


  • South side of Randolph, from Franklin to the first alley east thereof
  • East side of Franklin, from Randolph to the first alley south thereof


This project is expected to be completed July 2024.



151 N Michigan:


Power Construction installed a tower crane on Beaubien Court for the project at 151 N Michigan Avenue. While the crane is in place, Beaubien Court, from a point 23' north of Randolph Street, to a point 100' north thereof will be closed to vehicular traffic. The crane will be in-place for 8-10 weeks.


The following will be closed throughout the duration of the project:


  • Sidewalk on the north side of Randolph, from Beaubien Court to Michigan Avenue
  • Sidewalk on the east side of Michigan, from Randolph, to a point 100' north thereof
  • Beaubien Court, from Randolph to a point 100' north thereof


Pedestrians will be directed to use projected walkways that are placed in the curb lanes on Randolph and Michigan. The project is expected to be completed at the end of 2023.


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


Randolph Street Viaduct Repair


CDOT will be performing repairs at Randolph Street Viaduct (East bound lanes only) between Columbus Dr. and Field Blvd.

 

Scope of Work:

The project consists of performing the following repairs: Concrete deck repairs, street paving.


Construction Schedule:

7:00 am - 6:00pm Monday to Saturday, April 10th  - September 30th 2023.

No demolition or other excessive noise creating activity will begin until after 8:00am.

 

Traffic Impact during Construction:

 

  • The Randolph Street Viaduct east bound lanes will have one lane open to traffic at all times and one lane closed for construction at both the upper and intermediate levels between Columbus Dr. and Field Blvd. At least one sidewalk will remain open to pedestrian traffic.
  • All parking on east bound Randolph St. will be removed between Columbus Dr. and Field Blvd.
  • West bound lanes will be open at all times during construction with the exception of single night closures (Dates are TBD and updates will be provided).
  • Access to Millenium Parking Garage and Maggie Daley Park will be limited to entrances at the Columbus Dr./Randolph St. Intersection and Field Blvd./Randolph St. Intersection. Elevator/ADA access to the garage will be maintained.


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.


150 E Ontario Construction


W.E. O'Neil began construction of a 23-story building at 150 East Ontario Street. Work hours will be Monday-Friday, from 9am-5pm (8pm during caisson pours). Some weekend work will occur.  


Throughout the project, the following will be closed:


  • 150' of sidewalk in front of 150 East Ontario
  • 150' of curb lane in front of 150 East Ontario 


Pedestrians will be directed to the sidewalk on the south side of the street at Ontario/Michigan and Ontario/St. Clair. The entire project is expected to take 23 months to complete. 

 

Chase Tower Clark Street Tunnel Project


In mid-July, Berglund Construction began repairs on the Chase Tower Clark Street tunnel at 23 S. Clark Street. The project scope consists of repairing Chase’s below-grade tunnel structures that cross below Clark Street at 23 S. Clark St, and will require excavation of Clark Street in that area to access the tunnel structures to perform repairs.


There will be one lane of southbound traffic open at all times. Berglund will have flaggers and barricades in-place throughout the project. 


The project will last 26 months. Berglund would like to begin mid-June. Work hours will be Monday-Friday, from 8am-5pm.


535 N. St. Clair Street Project


Demolition of 535 N St. Clair is completed. LendLease has mobilized for construction and they have began pouring caissons. Throughout the project, there will be a protected pedestrian canopy on the north side of Grand, from St. Clair to a point 100' east thereof. The entire project is expected to be completed at the beginning of 2024.


Cassidy Tire Construction 


Construction of the 33-story mixed-use building is underway. Throughout construction, McHugh Constriction will occupy the curb lane on the west side of Canal along 344/350 N. Canal Street's property line. The construction company has leased the area north of the building from the railroad to use as a staging area. Additionally, they will use the parking lot south of the building as a staging area too.


As a reminder, this project is contributing to numerous public benefits. Click here for a list of public benefits, and stay tuned to Reilly Reports for future updates on this project and the implementation of these public benefits.  All work is expected to take 24 months to complete (weather dependent).


311 W Huron Project


In June, ARCO Murray began construction of a new building at 311 W. Huron Street. Work hours will be Monday-Friday, from 9am-5pm (8pm during caisson pours). Throughout the project, the following City right-of-way will be occupied:


  • Sidewalk/curb lane on the south side of Huron, from Franklin west to the end of 311 W Huron's property line - approximately 150'. The sidewalk will be used to store their concrete pump, dumpster, and hoist dock. Trucks will back into the site at this location too. Jersey barriers will be placed in the curb lane to create a protected pedestrian path.
  • 3' of the sidewalk on the west side of Franklin, from Huron to the first alley south thereof. This leaves 6' of clearance. They will need to push the fence out a few feet during excavation.
  • 150' of the east/west alley bounded by Huron, Franklin, Erie, and Orleans will be closed. The closure is from Franklin to a point 150' west thereof. 


The project is expected to be completed in September 2023 (weather dependent). 


214 West Erie Street Renovations


On Monday, December 13, Crane Construction began renovations of 214 West Erie Street. During construction, the following will be closed:


  • Sidewalk/curb lane in front of 214 West Erie Street. The curb lane will be used as a pedestrian walkway. Crane Construction will place jersey barriers and ramps in the curb lane to protect pedestrians and provide wheelchair access. 
  • Close 100' of the north/south alley adjacent to 214 W Erie Street. This is a T alley and residents of 222 W Erie will still be able to access their parking garage from the alley entrance on Franklin and Huron.


This project is expected to be completed in early 2023 (weather dependent).


LG Construction: 751 N. Hudson and 451 W Chicago 


LG Construction continues work on 751 N. Hudson Avenue and 451 W. Chicago Avenue, which are adjacent parcels. Work hours will be 8am-5pm, Monday-Friday.

 

Throughout the project, the following will be closed:


  • Sidewalk/curb lane/traffic lane of the east side of Hudson, from Chicago to the first alley south thereof
  • Sidewalk/curb lane/traffic lane on the west side of Sedgwick, from Chicago to the first alley south thereof
  • Sidewalk/curb lane on the south side of Chicago, from Hudson to Sedgwick


There will be a protected pedestrian walkway in the curb lane on the south side of Chicago Avenue, from Hudson Avenue to Sedgwick Street.


This project is expected to take 18 months to complete (weather dependent). 


354 North Union Construction


The Onni Group is constructing a 33-story residential building with 373 units. Work hours will be 8am-8pm, daily. 


Parking will be prohibited on North Union, from West Kinzie to the cul-de-sac west thereof throughout the project. All construction equipment and vehicles will be staged on the Onni Group’s property. This project will take approximately two years to complete. 


Dearborn Street Bridge Project


CDOT began emergency work on the Dearborn Bridge in June 2022. They will be conducting the following work:


  • Replacing both sidewalks
  • Replacing all of the bridge gratings
  • Replacing the beam structures 


Due to supply chain issues, the project is expected to be completed in April 2023 (weather dependent). 


The bridge will be reduced to one lane of traffic/sidewalk at a time. Bike traffic will be detoured to Clark Street via the north side of Upper Wacker Drive.


Street Sweeping


During street sweeping season (April 1 to mid-November) the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation uses mechanical street sweepers to remove debris and litter from streets, weather permitting. Throughout the season, DSS deploys mechanical street sweepers at regularly scheduled times to clear debris from Chicago streets. Starting this week, dozens of street sweepers have begun clearing the debris and leaves that have accumulated during winter months on both residential and arterial streets. 


On weekdays, from 9am to 2pm, this Sweeper Tracker map will show real-time locations of city street sweepers. For more information, please review the 42nd Ward Map and street sweeping schedule. Residents can also call 311 to find the dates and locations of street sweeping in their area.


Please check for the bright orange signs announcing temporary parking restrictions. These signs are posted two days prior to scheduled street sweeping events. Some streets also have permanently posted signs that specify a once-per-week period when parking is prohibited for street sweeping.


Kennedy Expressway Bridge Rehabilitation


The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) began rehabilitation of the Kennedy Expressway (Interstate 90/94), from the Edens Expressway (Interstate 94) junction to West Ohio Street


The project consists of rehabilitating 36 bridge structures and the Reversible Lane Access Control (REVLAC) 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.


This project will take place over three consecutive construction seasons and consist of three stages. The following will occur during stage one:


Stage I - Inbound Kennedy


To help minimize the impact to traffic the reversible express lanes will remain open in the inbound direction, while two mainline inbound lanes will be closed at a time. Motorists should expect lane shifts and overnight lane closures and various ramp closures. Later this summer, painting and installation of new LED lighting will begin on inbound Hubbard's Cave, between Ohio and Lake streets. Construction is anticipated to be completed later this fall, with all lanes and ramps reopening and the express lanes resuming normal operations.


Please click here to learn more about the Kennedy Expressway Bridge Rehabilitation, and stay tuned to Reilly Reports for future updates.