April 7, 2023

Alderman Reilly Reports

NASCAR Chicago Street Race Weekend Community Engagement Meeting

NASCAR will be hosting a virtual community engagement meeting on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, from 6:00PM – 7:00PM to share information about the upcoming Chicago Street Race Weekend.

Representatives from NASCAR, the City of Chicago, the Chicago Park District, and others will be present and respond to questions from the community.

Meeting Details:

Date: Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Time: 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Link: https://forms.office.com/r/Xw7wTgM69L

Chicago Plan Commission (CPC) to Consider 42nd Ward Development Proposals

On Thursday, April 20th at 10:00am, the Chicago Plan Commission (CPC) will host a virtual meeting to review proposed applications and/or amendments, including two proposals within the 42nd Ward, detailed below.

As reported in Reilly Reports, Metra proposes to renovate the Van Buren station located at Van Buren Street and Michigan Avenue. The site is currently zoned IPD No. 677, T District, POS-1 and is within the Public Use Zone of the Lake Michigan and Chicago Lakefront Protection District. Click here for more information about the project. This proposal does not require City Council approval, however, Metra must obtain Lakefront Protection Application approval from the CPC to ensure that the renovation does not impede access to the Chicago Lakefront or inflict harm on the natural lakefront environment.

As reported in Reilly Reports on March 24, the property owner of 330 North Clark Street proposes to add “residential” as a permitted use within the Planned Development (PD 1342). Additionally, the amendment would memorialize the applicant’s commitment to design and construct a deck over lower Carroll Avenue. The deck would allow for one-way vehicular access between Clark Street and LaSalle Street, and improve portions of the area into a public plaza. This improvement was successfully negotiated by Alderman Reilly as a public benefit at the time the PD was approved in 2016, but was not defined in the PD at that time. No other change is being proposed, and any future residential development at the site would require additional review and a secondary PD Amendment in order to define the specific number of residential units and parking spaces allowed on the site.

Rules for public participation in virtual CPC meetings are now available. A link to live stream the meeting will be added to CPC’s website on April 20th.

Lake Shore Drive Resurfacing Project

On Sunday, April 16, the Chicago Department of Transportation will begin 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.

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.

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.

Larrabee Street Lighting Project

The Larrabee Street Lights Project is tentatively scheduled to begin 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 [email protected], or 773-908-126 or Robert Loftus at [email protected], or 312-617-4679.

Grant Park Earth Day Clean-up

CAPS Meetings

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

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

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

Beat 122 CAPS Meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 12th at 5:30pm.

12th District: (312-746-8306 / [email protected])

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

42nd Ward Traffic Closures & Construction Projects

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.

Filming

XMAS

On Tuesday, April 11 and Wednesday, April 12, XMAS will be filming at 666 N Orleans. During the filming, parking will be prohibited at the following locations:

Tuesday April 11, 2023 (5AM) Wednesday April 12, 2023 (11:45PM)

South Side of Erie St from Orleans St to Sedgwick St
Both Sides of Erie St from Orleans St to Franklin St
West Side of Orleans St from Huron St to Erie St
South Side of Huron St from Hudson St to Franklin St
North Side of Huron St from Orleans St to Franklin St
Both sides of Sedgwick St from Chicago Ave to Locust St

Tuesday April 11, 2023 (8PM – 11PM) - Wednesday April 12, 2023 (8PM – 11PM)

Intermittent Traffic Control – Orleans St from Huron St to Erie St

Dearborn Street Bridge:

The Chicago Department of Transportation has issued a full closure of the Dearborn Street Bridge from Monday, April 3 at 6am to Thursday, April 13 at 2:30pm.

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).

Crane Lift: 200 W Monroe

Stevenson Crane was hired to lift HVAC units onto the roof of 200 W Monroe. The lift will occur on Saturday, April 15, from 8am-5pm (weather back-up day Sunday, April 2). During the lift, there will be a full closure of Monroe, from Franklin to Wells.

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 last three weeks. 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 10^th - September 30^th 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.