December 8, 2023

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Alderman Reilly Reports

Lake Street Viaduct Shooting

Earlier this week, there was a fatal shooting near Lake Street and Clinton Street in the 34th Ward. This area was previously within the 42nd Ward boundary, prior to the redistricting that took effect earlier this year. 


Alderman Conway and Alderman Reilly held a press conference to discuss their collaborative efforts to request additional public safety resources in the area. Click here to watch a recording.

CDOT Construction Update:

Pin & Link Plate Assembly and Expansion Joints

The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) is continuing the work of pin and link plate replacement and expansion joint replacement along the Lake Shore Drive bridge and viaduct network between Randolph Street and Grand Avenue. During this work, please make note of the following closures: 


12/4-12/12: Full closure of Northbound Lower Lake Shore Drive from Wacker to Illinois

Cars will be redirected to Wacker Drive to Columbus Ave. to Illinois St., then return to northbound LSD. 


12/12-12/19: Partial closure of Southbound Lower Lake Shore Drive from Wacker to Illinois

Lanes to SB upper level LSD will remain open.  Lanes to Wacker Dr. from Southbound Lower Level Lake Shore Drive will be shutdown starting 9 a.m. 12/12/23 with a duration of one week.  Detour will be Upper LSD to Monroe St. to Columbus Dr. return to Wacker Dr.

Shared Cost Sidewalk Program Opens

January 8, 2024

The Shared Cost Sidewalk Program is an extremely popular voluntary program in which property owners share the cost of sidewalk repair with the City. Thousands of Chicagoans have been a part of this popular program, taking advantage of the low cost, exceptional value, and ease of participation. New applicants can apply on Monday, January 8, 2024 from 6 am - 10 pm.  


Applications will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. The number of participants is based on availability of funds. The program typically reaches capacity quickly, so you are encouraged to apply early. 


Applications will only be accepted via the City’s 311 system. Applicants can apply for the program by calling 311 or visiting CHI311 online. 

 

Please click here for more information regarding the Shared Cost Sidewalk Program.

Inbound Kennedy Expressway Work Nearing Completion: Lanes Reopen This Week

Earlier this week, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced that the inbound Kennedy Expressway (Interstate 90/94) rehabilitation project, from the Edens Expressway (Interstate 94) junction to Ohio Street, is nearing completion.


A sequenced reopening to remove the work zone is scheduled to begin, weather permitting, Thursday, Dec. 7. To safely remove barricades and apply new pavement markings, overnight lane and ramp closures will be required on the inbound Kennedy and Edens expressways. At least one inbound lane will remain open at all times. 


By 5 a.m. Friday the inbound Kennedy (lanes/ramps) will be fully reopened from Kimball Avenue heading south. The express lanes will remain open in the inbound direction only.


  • Starting at 8 p.m. on Friday, December 8th: the inbound Kennedy will be reduced to one lane between Keeler and Kimball avenues.
  • At the same time, intermittent ramp closures between Keeler and Kimball avenues will also take place.
  • The reversible express lanes will remain open.


By 8 a.m. Saturday the inbound Kennedy (lanes/ramps) will be fully reopened from Keeler Avenue heading south. The express lanes will remain open in the inbound direction only.

Upcoming Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) Meeting

As previously reported in Reilly Reports, the building owner at 153-157 West Ohio Street proposes to convert the existing 5-story building from commercial/office to all residential. 


The proposal is to establish thirty-five (35) dwelling units on floors 1-5. The building does not currently contain parking, and none is proposed with this project. Most of the construction would be within the interior; with minimal changes to the exterior entryway and rooftop (but no expansion of the building height). 


In order to convert this property, the building owner has applied for a Special Use to establish residential use below the second floor.  The ZBA will consider this request at an upcoming public hearing on Friday, December 15th at 9 AM. A link to live stream the meeting will also be available on the ZBA’s website on the morning of December 15th.

CAPS Meetings

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

  • No 18th District CAPS meetings are scheduled in the month of December.

1st District: (312-745-4381 / [email protected])

  • Beat 122 CAPS Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 13th, at 5:30PM.

42nd Ward Traffic Closures & Construction Projects


Filming


"Influenced"


Zaxie LLC and Digital Hydra LLC will be preparing for an upcoming film project at 35 West Wacker Drive on Saturday December 9 and Sunday December 10. The production is permitted to park equipment vehicles along the South side of Lake between Clark & Dearborn, and will be filming inside the building for the duration. In order to park essential vehicles and equipment, streets in the area will be posted as a NO PARKING/TOW ZONE during the following dates/times:


Saturday, December 9th from 7AM - 7PM

Sunday, December 10th from 7AM - 7PM


Photo Shoot


Friday, December 15, 2023 a photoshoot will take place at the Equitable Building, 401 N Michigan Ave. In order to park essential vehicles and equipment, the West side of N N St Clair St from E Illinois St to Lower North Water St will be posted as a NO PARKING/TOW ZONE on Friday, December 15, 2023

from 5 AM to 8 PM.


Curb Lane & Sidewalk Closure - Hubbard St


On Monday, December 11 from 8am-4pm, Stevenson Crane will be lifting equipment through the top window of the building at 116 West Hubbard. Due to the telehandler lift and truck staging nearby, the following will be closed during that time:


  • The sidewalk from 112-116 W Hubbard
  • 200' of curb lane (110-118 W Hubbard)


Helicopter Lift: 225 N Wabash


On Saturday, December 9, there will be a helicopter lift at 225 N Wabash Avenue. During the lift, pedestrian and vehicular access will be prohibited at the following locations:


  • North Wabash, from Wacker Drive to Lake Street.
  • Wacker Place, form Garland to State


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.