Santa Hustle 10K This Weekend

On Saturday, December 6, a 10K race will take place along the Lakefront Trail and portions of Grant Park as part of the Santa Hustle race series. The race starts around 9am at Museum Campus and travels north on the Lakefront Trail up to Jackson Drive. The race will finish near the southeast corner of Soldier Field. The course can be found here.

There will be no street closures in the 42nd Ward associated with this race, but the Lakefront Trail could experience increased congestion or intermittent closures to accommodate the race’s participants.

Winter Parking Restrictions Began December 1

We would like to remind all residents of the winter weather parking restrictions that run from December 1 - April 1, 3am - 7am daily. If you see a posted sign that says “No Parking” between 3am and 7am, that means that the winter overnight parking ban is in effect on that street whether snow is present or not. Violating vehicles could be ticketed or towed. An example of this signage is below. More information on these “No Parking” signs can be found here.

Separately, the city also posts signage for designated “Snow Routes,” which is displayed below. At the curb lane where this signage is posted, parking is only prohibited when over 2” of snow is present. Visit the City of Chicago's winter snow parking restrictions page to learn more. You can also visit chicagoshovels.org for a live snowplow tracker and other winter weather information.

Free Smoke Alarms for 42nd Ward Residents

Stop by our office in City Hall, Room 200 at 121 N. LaSalle Street for a free smoke detector! Most fires occur at night when people are sleeping. A smoke detector can alert you when there is a fire, in time to save your life.

Below are some tips to ensure your smoke detector is properly installed and working correctly:

Routinely test your detector correctly
When a smoke detector sounds, get outside and call 911
Install smoke detectors within 15 feet of any sleeping room and every level of your house
Replace your smoke detector every 10 years. Write the installation date on the unit
Don't forget to install Carbon Monoxide detectors on every floor as well
Any questions on smoke detectors or carbon monoxide detectors, call the Chicago Fire Department Public Education Division at (312) 747-6691

A special thank you to the Chicago Fire Department for the smoke detectors. Smoke detectors can be picked up from the 42nd Ward Office between 9am - 4pm, Monday through Friday in City Hall, Room 200.

To coordinate picking up a smoke alarm, please call us at (312) 744-3062 or send us a note via email (office@ward42chicago.com).

CAPS Meetings

18th District: (312-742-5778 / CAPS.018District@chicagopolice.org)

There are no scheduled beat meetings for this district for the month of December.

1st District: (312-745-4381 / CAPS.001District@chicagopolice.org)

Beat 122 CAPS meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 10 at 5:30pm at 26 S Clinton St

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

42nd Ward Traffic Closures & Construction Projects

Crane Lifts:

205 W Superior

From Monday, December 1 to Wednesday, December 10, parking on the north side of Superior St from Wells St to the alley adjacent to 208 W Superior will be in prohibited for a crane lift. Parking will be prohibited to ensure eastbound motorists can travel on Superior St over the designated parking spaces on the north side of the street. Signage will be installed where necessary to guide motorists.

500 W Madison

On Saturday, December 6, a crane lift will take place on Clinton St on the west side of Ogilvie Transportation Center from 8am - 5pm. During the lift, vehicular, pedestrian, and bike traffic will be prohibited on the east side of Clinton St from Washington St to Madison St. Flaggers will be in place and signs will be installed on both ends of Canal St to alert drivers and pedestrians of the closure ahead. During the lift, vehicles will be rerouted onto Washington St to Wacker Dr and back onto Madison St.

Canal St Reconstruction Begins December 15

On Monday, December 15, contractors will begin work on the Canal St reconstruction project. During Phase 1 of the project, the east half of Canal St between Adams and Madison will be blocked, and parking on Canal between Adams and Madison will be prohibited. Two lanes on the west side of Canal St will be maintained for northbound traffic. These closures will last until late 2026. Pedestrian traffic will be maintained on the west side of Canal St. Please click here for a flyer on the impact to vehicle and pedestrian access.

Ohio / Ontario Feeder Ramp Project Begins Stage 3

As reported in a previous Reilly Report, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has begun stage 3 of its work on the Ohio / Ontario Street Feeder Ramps. IDOT's press release on these closures can be found here.

Bridge Construction Updates

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.

The State Street Bridge project is estimated to be completed by early 2026, the approximate completion date for the Chicago Avenue Bridge is January 2027, and the Lake Street Bridge will be completed by the end of February 2028.

River North CTA Bus Reroutes and Navy Pier Schedule Revision

Due to excessive congestion in River North, the westbound #66 bus no longer stops at Hudson or Kingsbury on Chicago Ave. This schedule matches that of the eastbound #66 bus. Additionally, the #66 and #8 buses will now be rerouted southbound via Wells St instead of Kingsbury St to access Grand Ave from Chicago Ave.

In response to resident concerns and at Alderman Reilly’s request, the first westbound CTA #124 bus will now depart Navy Pier at 8:08am. This change will go into effect on December 21.

Lake Street Bascule Bridge Construction Update

Full closures are in place currently. The north-south crosswalk on the west side of Lake St and Wacker Dr has been fully closed and will remain closed for the duration of the project. Pedestrian traffic at this intersection will still be allowed to cross using a protected lane. During all 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 by the end of February 2028. For the detour map, click here (note: the Canal St detour as listed is no longer in effect as of Dec 2025).

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.

114 E Oak Façade Work

A partial sidewalk closure is in place for construction on the façade at 114 E Oak. 8 feet of sidewalk clearance will be maintained, and the barricades around the construction site will be removed by February 2026.

830 N Michigan Façade Work

Contractors are completing work on the façade at 830 N Michigan Ave. The temporary wall will be removed by the Friday, December 12, and the exterior work is scheduled to be completed by the end of December. The full sidewalk will be opened as soon as the project is completed.