October 31, 2025

Alderman Reilly Reports

Hot Chocolate Run This Weekend

The 18th annual Hot Chocolate Run will return to Grant Park this Sunday, November 2. The event raises money for Special Olympics programs. It is anticipated that over 38,000 runners will participate this year. The race will begin at 7:30am in Grant Park, and the final runner is expected to finish by noon. For a full list of traffic impacts, please click here. More information can be found here.

Grand Avenue Resurfacing Project

CDOT recently notified Alderman Reilly’s office of an ongoing resurfacing project on Grand Avenue between LaSalle St and Orleans St. The resurfacing will be in progress until November 11, weather permitting. There are no street or sidewalk closures associated with this project, but the lack of notification to the Alderman’s office until after the project was in progress is troubling and signals the continued lack of cooperation by the Department of Transportation.

As reported in Reilly Reports on October 17, Alderman Reilly is extremely frustrated with overlapping construction projects affecting 42nd Ward residents and commuters. Alderman Reilly aired this frustration in a recent Block Club article where he criticized the lack of planning on CDOT’s part.

Layering a resurfacing project on top of the existing major construction projects in the 42nd Ward is unacceptable. This past week, Alderman Reilly and seven of his colleagues signed a letter (viewable here) to the Mayor and CDOT’s Acting Commissioner requesting a timely congestion mitigation plan to improve the quality of life for residents affected by the nearby bridge projects.

Alderman Reilly Attends Mental Health Clinic Grand Opening in River North

This week, Alderman Reilly attended the grand opening of SHFT Behavioral Health at 730 N Franklin. The clinic will provide urgent and routine mental health care to youth and young adults. Alderman Reilly spoke about the importance of mental health care as part of a holistic approach to quality of life.

This clinic will provide valuable care to River North’s residents, and Alderman Reilly looks forward to their future success in the neighborhood. For more information on the clinic’s opening and operations, click here.

Canal Street Rehabilitation

CDOT recently announced plans to start major rehabilitation to Canal St between Lake St and Kinzie St. The majority of the work will be at Canal and Fulton and will include the following:

Removal of the bike lane on Canal
Reconfiguration of the east curb of Canal to allow for larger loading zones in the area
Relocation of the crosswalk from the south side to the north side of Canal and Fulton
Extension of the curbs on the northeast and southwest sides of Canal and Fulton

CDOT is reevaluating current detour signage in place for the construction on the Lake St Bridge. The detour map is below. More details on traffic patterns can be found here. Construction will begin on Monday, November 3 and is expected to be finished by the end of December 2025.

Ohio Place Dog Park Reopened

Alderman Reilly is pleased to announce that the Ohio Place Dog Park is now open after a four-week closure to re-seed the park. Alderman Reilly authorized a portion of his Aldermanic Menu Funds to upgrade the park.

The closure signs have been removed and the gates have been unlocked. We thank you for keeping your dogs off the grass during the four-week closure and hope residents and their pets can enjoy the park for many years to come.

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 111 CAPS meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 5 at 100 S State St.

To find your appropriate beat to attend your CAPS meeting, please click here.

42nd Ward Traffic Closures & Construction Projects

Crane Lifts:

17 E Erie

On Saturday, November 1, a crane will be onsite at 17 E Erie to replace a rooftop unit. Parking will be prohibited on Erie St between State and Wabash, and the sidewalk on the south side of Erie St will be closed. "No Parking" and "Sidewalk Closed" signs will be installed at either end of the work on Erie St. Flaggers will be in place to direct eastbound vehicles to travel in the northernmost lane on Erie St to access Wabash Ave.

205 W Superior

On November 4 and 5, a partial road closure will be in effect for a crane lift at 205 W Superior. Parking on the north side of Superior St near Wells St will be prohibited and traffic will be redirected. Another scheduled lift will occur on November 13 and 14, with the same closures in place.

Cleaning on Oak St Ramp

On Wednesday, November 5, the northbound Oak Street on-ramp tunnel to Outer Lake Shore Drive will be closed between 10am and 1pm for cleaning. Work could also take place on Friday, 11/7 if necessary. On-ramp traffic will be detoured using inner Lake Shore Drive to LaSalle Sr and then onto Outer Lake Shore Drive. Routine cleaning prevents clogs to reduce damaging flooding.

Michigan Ave Sewer and Drain Maintenance

Starting Wednesday, November 5 through Friday, November 7, CDOT will be performing routine maintenance of the sewer drains on Michigan Avenue in the Gold Coast. From 10am - 1pm on these days, vehicular traffic will be prohibited on Michigan Ave from Walton to Oak St. Detour signage for northbound vehicles will be in place and all work will abide by the City's construction guidelines.

Bridge Construction Updates

The Grand Avenue Bridge was recently closed for emergency repairs. The bridge was re-opened fully on Tuesday, October 28. The Grand Ave Bridge is scheduled for rehabilitation once the nearby projects are completed on Chicago Ave, Halsted St, and the Division St Bridge.

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.

Lake Street Bascule Bridge Construction Update

Full closures are in place currently. Schedule overnight work will take place on Sunday morning, November 2 between 1-5am--CTA service will not be affected. Click here for the full detour map. 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 in January 2028.

CTA and ComEd will close the north sidewalk west of the Lake St Bridge between the 444 River Plaza stairwell. The closure is expected to last one day only on Tuesday, November 4 between 7am - 4pm.

DuSable Statue Removed for Refurbishment

The DuSable Statue on the Riverwalk near Michigan Ave was removed to repair the bust and pedestal. Signage has been placed at the site regarding the removal. The statue will be reinstalled as quickly as possible. Questions about this repair project can be directed to DCASE's Public Art Curation Office at PublicArt@cityofchicago.org.

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.

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.

Street Resurfacing Completed on Wabash Ave

Construction is complete on the Wabash Ave resurfacing project from Wacker Dr to Balbo Dr. The work included ADA sidewalk improvements, curb and gutter removal, replacement, milling and paving the existing asphalt, and striping improvements.

State Street Bridge Project

CDOT continues structural repair work on the State Street Bridge. Throughout the project, the bridge will remain closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. State Street will remain open on both sides of the bridge during construction, and vehicles crossing the river will be rerouted to Clark Street and Dearborn Street.

The bridge is expected to be open by the end of January 2026.

River North Lighting Project

CDOT has completed new light pole installation in the area bounded by Chicago, Ontario, Orleans, and the river. CDOT continues to restore infrastructure trenching. Click here to watch Alderman Reilly's comments to CDOT's Acting Commissioner about the problems associated with this ongoing project.