The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) will close Chicago Avenue, between Larrabee Street and Halsted Street at 5:00 a.m. on November 1 to begin the demolition of the 100 year old bascule bridge.  In its place, CDOT will install an interim bridge to ensure continued safe travel over the north branch of the Chicago River.

The current bridge was constructed in 1914 and requires full replacement to maintain and support the volume of vehicle, bus, bicycle and pedestrian traffic in this active corridor.  Preliminary work on the project began in late September.

On November 1, CDOT will start the bridge project with the demolition of the existing bridge, followed by its replacement with a new interim bridge structure. The full project to replace the bridge is expected to last five months; however, the roadway on Chicago Avenue is expected to reopen before project completion.  After the reopening of the roadway, the final month of the project will include the installation of new road and navigational lighting.

Marked detours have been designed for bicyclists, pedestrians, personal vehicles, buses and trucks. CDOT is making every effort to minimize traffic disruptions and is limiting other construction on the detour routes, and restricting parking to maximize road capacity.

CDOT has also partnered with CTA to initiate an innovative pilot program to help mitigate the impact of the bridge detour for the 15,000 daily bus riders in this corridor. In order to maintain service reliability and trip speed for CTA bus route #66 Chicago customers, a temporary, shared bus-bike lane will be installed in both directions on Halsted St. between Chicago Ave. and Division St.. The shared bus-bike lane will be curbside and will have no impact on normal traffic flow or roadway capacity along Halsted. The shared bus-bike lane will be exclusive to CTA buses and bicycles, and parking will be restricted in this area to accommodate the bus-bike lane. CDOT and CTA encourage the use of public transportation during the construction detour.

Construction and installation of the permanent structure is expected to occur in 2021.

CDOT will communicate regularly with stakeholders on the progress of this project, and Alderman Reilly will include these updates in Reilly Reports. To add your contact information to CDOT’s project update email distribution list, contact the resident engineer Andrew Mey at 312-914-5461 or by email at  amey@benesch.com.

Source:  Alderman Reilly Reports 10/26/18

Alderman Reilly is hosting a Community Electronics Recycling Event on Saturday, November 10 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The event will be held at the Ohio Place Dog Park located at 360 West Ohio Street.

This is your opportunity to recycle old unwanted electronics and electronic material. Please visit Newtech E-Scrap’s website here for information regarding electronics that the company accepts.

The following items will not be accepted: Tube TVs, Cathode Ray Tube monitors, loose batteries, light bulbs, or hazardous waste.

A representative from Alderman Reilly’s Office will be present to address concerns or questions regarding city-related matters.

For a copy of the flyer, click here.

Chicago’s Official Veterans Day Ceremony will take place in City Hall Council Chambers on Sunday, November 11, at 11.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, together with combat veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth will honor local and national veterans at this year’s ceremony.

Brigadier General Mark C. Jackson of the Illinois Army National Guard will deliver the keynote address, and members from each branch of the United States military, civic leaders, and cadets from the Chicago Public Schools JROTC will be represented.

The program will feature the “National Anthem” sung by Alleece Baker with USO of Illinois, the “Armed Forces Medley” performed by the 144th Army Ceremonial Band, Illinois National Guard, “Taps” by Tom J. Day, founder of Bugles Across America, and a wreath laying ceremony.

Veterans Day is set aside to thank and honor living veterans who have served honorably in the military in wartime and peacetime. Originally known as Armistice Day and so declared by President Woodrow Wilson, it was created to mark the signing of the Armistice which ended World War I. Following World War II, it was declared a day to honor all veterans and in 1954, renamed Veterans Day by Congress.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, click here.

Source:  Alderman Reilly Report:  11/9/18

Open enrollment for 2019 Health Care coverage runs from November 1st to December 15th. Starting November 1st, you can log in to HealthCare.gov, fill out an application, and enroll in a 2019 Marketplace health plan. Enroll by December 15, 2018 and coverage starts January 1, 2019. 2019 plans and prices will be available to preview shortly before November 1.

If you don’t have health insurance through a job, Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or another source that provides qualifying health coverage, the Marketplace can help you get covered.

The Department of Water Management (DWM) is currently working on the following projects in the 2nd Ward:

Project No: 1301291
Near North

The Department of Water Management will be working on Chestnut Street between Orleans and Wells. ADA-compliant sidewalk ramps will be repaired or installed where needed, along with repair of damaged parkway and sidewalk. The final restoration of the street will include milling the surface, placing new asphalt, and painting the street markings. Over the next few weeks additional work will begin to restore the street temporarily with concrete until complete restoration of the street with asphalt can be done. The concrete work is expected to be completed by Mid-October 2018.

Source:  Alderman Hopkin’s Newsletter 10/9/18

This month, EC42 Developer LLC [Friedman Properties], will appear before Chicago Plan Commission to present their proposal located at 444 North Dearborn Street. The hearing will be held on October 18th at 10AM, in City Council Chambers located at 121 North LaSalle, 2nd Floor.

This summer, Alderman Reilly and the River North Residents Association (RNRA) co-hosted two community meetings for this project. The RNRA has issued a letter of support for the project.

The proposal includes plans to construct a new firehouse for City of Chicago Engine Co. 42, funded completely by the developer, which would save Chicago taxpayers over $15,000,000. Subsequently, the developer proposes to demolish the existing firehouse and construct a new 455 foot tall (614,648 SF) commercial tower at the southwest corner of North Dearborn Street and West Illinois Street.

All loading for the new tower will occur through the alley to the south of the site, which will be managed by a full time dockmaster. Ambulances and smaller Chicago Fire Department (CFD) vehicles will be able to access the new Fire Station through the alley, something that is not possible today.

CFD will also have the ability to control the traffic lights at both the Clark & Illinois and Dearborn & Illinois intersections from inside the station, allowing them to flush traffic from the block before exiting for a service call. This modern technology will better control traffic for the safety of residents, as well as allow the CFD to limit use of their sirens to clear the street.

This proposal includes the creation of a Planned Development, incorporating the properties on the block bounded by Clark, Illinois, Dearborn, and Hubbard Streets. The Planned Development would transfer the development rights for the properties in the PD to the office tower, ensuring that no other property on the block will ever be developed past its current height.

If the proposal clears Plan Commission, it will advance to the Chicago City Council Zoning Committee. If the aldermen in this committee vote in favor of the proposal, it will then appear before the full City Council for a vote.

For more information, click on the following links to download the presentation packet and traffic study.

Source:  Alderman Reilly Reports 10/5/18

To print a copy, CLICK HERE.

Experience Art on theMART for the first time this Saturday,  September 29!

This series of digital artworks will be projected across 2.5 acres of theMART’s exterior river-façade, creating the longest-running and largest digital art projection in the world.

Wacker Drive between Wells and Orleans will be closed off to traffic beginning at 6:30 p.m. to enable public viewing of the projections. The program will begin after dusk, around 7:15 p.m., and run for 35 minutes, culminating in a one-minute pyrotechnic display.

Alderman Reilly is happy to welcome the Art on the Mart program to the 42nd Ward.  This one-of-a-kind public art installation will help further activate the Chicago Riverwalk, and will bring dynamic and engaging visual art to downtown residents and visitors using state-of-the-art technology.

Following the launch event, projections will be displayed up to two hours a night, five days a week (Wednesday – Sunday), for ten months of the year (March – December). Projections will be visible to the public from Wacker Drive and along the Chicago Riverwalk.

To learn more, visit artonthemart.com.

Source:  Alderman Reilly Reports 9/28/18

As you may be aware, the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) is planning for the replacement of the Chicago Avenue Bridge over the North Branch of the Chicago River. The current bridge was constructed in 1914 and requires full replacement to safely maintain and support the volume of vehicle, bus, bicycle and pedestrian traffic in this active corridor. The first phase of our work will begin this fall, involving the demolition of the existing bridge and replacement with a new interim bridge structure. Construction and installation of the permanent structure is expected to occur in 2021.

Beginning in October, the work we are doing on the Chicago Ave. Bridge will require closing Chicago Ave. between Larrabee and Halsted Streets. The full project to replace the bridge will last five months. However, the roadway on Chicago Ave. is scheduled to reopen early next year. After the reopening of the roadway, the final month will consist of installing new road and navigational lighting.

CDOT has established marked detours in place for bicyclists, pedestrians, personal vehicles, buses and trucks (see attached exhibit). CDOT is making every effort to keep traffic disruptions as short as possible. CDOT is also limiting other construction on the detour routes, and restricting parking to maximize road capacity.

CDOT has also partnered with CTA to initiate an innovative pilot program to help mitigate the impact of the bridge detour for the 15,000 daily bus riders in this corridor. In order to maintain service reliability and trip speed for CTA bus route #66 Chicago customers, a temporary, shared bus-bike lane will be installed on Halsted Street between Chicago Avenue and Division Street, in both directions. The shared bus-bike lane will be curbside and have no impact on normal traffic flow or roadway capacity along Halsted. The shared bus-bike lane will be exclusive to CTA buses and bicycles. Parking will be restricted in this area to accommodate the bus-bike lane. CDOT and CTA encourage the use of public transportation during the construction detour.

Source: Walter Burnett, Jr.  – Alderman 27th Ward – 9/26/18

The 18th District has received an additional 8 probationary police officers set to join neighborhood beat and patrol units. This is a welcome deployment for residents and local businesses in Streeterville, River North, Gold Coast and Lincoln Park providing an increased presence of law enforment in our communities

Source:  Alderman Brian Hopkins, 2nd Ward Newsletter 9/23/18