Chicago Construction Season Is Under Way
By Chuck Sudo in News on May 22, 2013 6:45PM
On Tuesday Mayor Rahm Emanuel, along with city officials and labor leaders, announced $1.5 billion in infrastructure projects over the upcoming months intended to improve public transit, city streets and roadways and waterways, the latest in Emanuel’s ongoing attempts to show residents that, hey, he’s not letting the grass grow under his feet when he can have Streets and San workers tear the grass out and build a street, instead.
The plan, part of the Emanuel administration’s “Building a Better Chicago” program, includes 75 miles of new water mains, 35 miles of bike lanes (which should piss off John Kass but good), 270 blocks of new street lights, CTA’s Red Light South reconstruction and major renovations to the Wilson Red Line station.
Emanuel, in a statement, touted the project as a jobs creator for the estimated 6,500 temporary construction jobs the projects are expected to produce and riffed on his standard trope the improvements are geared to making Chicago a “world class city.”
“We are building a 21st century foundation for a 21st century economy, and improving our water, road and transit infrastructure in neighborhoods across the city,” said Mayor Emanuel. “Better coordination between city agencies and private utilities reduces the disruption of each project and allows us to complete more work, and the result is that our infrastructure will be top-notch for generations.”
We've included a map showing where the construction will be taking place and some of the larger projects below.
Water Main Projects
Sheffield Fullerton Armitage Late Spring
Michigan 55th St. 59th St. June/July
Broadway Balmoral Foster June/July
Pulaski Wilson Elston June/July
Pearson State Michigan July/August
Milwaukee Ogden Erie October
Canal Street 31st St. 33rd St. Fall
Superior LaSalle Dearborn Mid/Late Fall
Chestnut Orleans LaSalle Late Fall
Rush Oak Chestnut Late Fall
Sewer Main Projects
State 9th St. 11th St. TBD
Jackson/Canal TBD
Transportation Projects
Ogden Madison Western May
Fairbanks Grand Pearson June
Vincennes 67th St. 103rd St. June
Harlem Higgins Howard July
Western 34th St. 74th St. July