November 23, 2022

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Alderman Reilly Reports

Happy Thanksgiving From Alderman Reilly!

Alderman Brendan Reilly wishes you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving! In observance of the holiday, Alderman Reilly’s Office will be closed tomorrow and Friday, and will reopen on Monday, November 28th at 9:00am.


If you are in need of city services, please call 311 for non-emergency requests or dial 911 if you require immediate assistance.

Casino Community Meetings Scheduled

Mayor Lightfoot’s Community Engagement Office and Bally’s will host two Town Hall meetings to discuss Bally’s Casino temporary and permanent sites. 


Temporary Site (Medinah Temple)

Tuesday, November 29th 

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

VOCO Hotel, 350 West Wolf Point Plaza

Register to attend in-person


Permanent Site (Tribune Publishing)

Monday, December 5th

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Chicago Tribune Publishing Center, 700 W Chicago Ave

Register to attend in-person


Residents are encouraged to attend these Town Hall meetings. Representatives from the city and Bally’s Corporation will be there to share additional information, respond to questions, and hear from community members. The meetings will also be live-streamed at chicago.gov/live


Alderman Reilly remains vehemently opposed to Bally’s proposal; click here for his most recent statement about the temporary casino. 


Following these community meetings, the proposed amendment to Planned Development # 1426, submitted by Bally’s Chicago Operating Company LLC (necessary for the permanent casino) will be reviewed at an upcoming Chicago Plan Commission (CPC) meeting on Monday, December 12, 2022 at 10 AM. 


Residents are encouraged to contact CPC directly to share their feedback about how the casino will impact our neighborhood. Please keep in mind that CPC will consider at least the following factors when reviewing the PD amendment: 


  • Compliance with the standards and guidelines for Planned Developments
  • Compatibility with the surrounding area in terms of uses, density and building scale
  • Adequacy of public infrastructure and city services to serve the proposed PD


Rules for virtual meetings are available now for review. A summary of the public comment portion is available below:


A link to access a livestream the day of the meeting will be available on CPC’s website here

Thanksgiving Weekend Activities Downtown

The Holiday season is in full swing with the Annual Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, November 24, stepping off at 8 a.m. on State Street. Residents and visitors can expect crowds during the Thanksgiving Day weekend throughout the city, including at the Christmas Tree and ice-skating rink in Millennium Park, Christkindlmarket at Daley Plaza, the Grant Park Turkey Trot, “Black Friday'' on November 25 and more. This will also be a busy travel weekend at the city’s airports and on the roadways. Travelers are urged to use caution.  

 

Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade

The annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Chicago on Thursday, November 24 is set to be broadcast live at 8 a.m. and step-off at 8:45 a.m. on State Street ending at 11a.m. The popular downtown parade will start at Ida B. Wells and head northbound on State Street to Randolph Street. There will be over 80 units consisting of giant helium balloons, floats, award-winning marching bands, equestrian units, local and national celebrities, animals, and various performance groups. The impacted area is from Roosevelt Road to Wacker Drive and Wells Street to Michigan Avenue. 


Residents can expect intermittent street closures between 5 a.m. and 2 p.m. and parking restrictions will be in effect in the area. Spectators are encouraged to use public transportation. For Complete details, visit ChicagoThanksgivingParade.com


Grant Park Turkey Trot, 5K/10K, Run/Walk in Grant Park 

The annual run/walk in Grant Park on Saturday, November 26 begins at 9 a.m. The course is entirely along the Lakefront path and sidewalks, with the start and finish at DuSable Harbor (111 N. DuSable Lake Shore Drive). For complete details, visit 

AllCommunityEvents.com/GrantParkTurkeyTrot

 

2022 Christkindlmarket at Daley Plaza and Wrigleyville 

The annual Christkindlmarket is open now through Saturday, December 24 on Daley Plaza located at 50 West Washington Street. NOTE: For weekend programming, there will be a full closure of W. Washington Street, including the CTA bus lane, between Clark Street and Dearborn Street starting at 5 a.m. each Saturday morning and ending at 11 p.m. Sunday night on the following dates: November 19–20, 26–27, December 3–4, 10–11 and 17–18. Hours are Sundays-Thursdays, 11 a.m. –8 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. –9 p.m. with special hours on holidays. The Christkindlmarket in Wrigleyville at Gallagher Way, located at 3635 N. Clark Street is also open now through Saturday, December 31. Hours are Mondays-Thursdays, 3 p.m.–9 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. –10 p.m. and Sundays, 11 a.m. –7 p.m. with special hours on holidays. For complete details, visit Christkindlmarket.com/ 

Michigan Avenue Resurfacing Completed

Alderman Reilly is pleased to report that the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) has completed the work to resurface Michigan Avenue between Oak Street and Ohio Street. The project included installation of concrete bus pads and ADA ramp replacements. Work on this project began the week of September 12th, with resurfacing completed on November 18, 2022.

 

As one of the most iconic streets in the City of Chicago, and a major thoroughfare for 42nd Ward residents and commuters, Alderman Reilly was proud to support this project, and grateful to CDOT for completing this work ahead of the holiday season. Check out the new conditions below:

St. Clair Water Main Project

The Chicago Department of Water Management (DWM) nears completion of its water main project on North St. Clair Street, between East Superior Street and East Illinois Street. 


On Monday, November 28, from 8pm-6am, DWM will be cleaning the catch basins along this stretch of North St. Clair Street. DWM will be using vactor trucks and residents should expect minimal noise.

CAPS Meetings

42nd Ward Traffic Closures & Construction Projects

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


Vault Repair: 41 E Chestnut


Repairs to the vaulted sidewalk at 41 E Chestnut began on Wednesday, November 9. Works hours will be 8am-8pm, 7-days a week. Throughout the project, the following will be closed:


  • Sidewalk on the south side of Chestnut, from Rush to Wabash
  • Curb lane on the south side of Chestnut, from Rush to Wabash


The project is expected to be completed at the beginning of December (weather dependent).


Randolph Street Viaduct Repair


CDOT restarted viaduct repairs on Randolph, between Columbus and Field. Work hours are Monday-Friday, from 8am-8pm. 


Throughout the project, at least one lane of eastbound traffic will be open. Westbound lanes will not be disrupted. 


The project is expedited to be completed mid-December (weather dependent). 


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.


Demolition Notice: 535 N. St. Clair Street


Precision Excavation & Demolition (PED) was hired to demo the parking structure at 535 N St. Clair Street. Demolition is underway, and work hours are Monday-Friday from 8am-5pm.


PED plans to install a high bay pedestrian canopy on the north side of Grand, from St. Clair to a point 100' east thereof. Additionally, they plan to prohibit parking on the north side of Grand, from St. Clair to a point 100' east thereof. Both the canopy and parking restrictions will be in-place throughout the project. 


The sidewalk on the east side of St. Clair, from Grand to appoint 100' north thereof will be closed for the first week of the project. Construction fencing will be put in-pace between the sidewalk and the site. 


PED plans to demo the building from west to east. They will have dust mitigation in-place and bait for rodents before work begins. All demolition activities will occur on their property. The crane will not be on ROW. 


The entire demolition will take one month to complete. 


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 December 2022 (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.