Please note that the 34th Ward Office will be closed December 24th-26th, December 31st, and January 1st. Our team is wishing you and your loved ones a happy holiday season and looking forward to working with you more in 2026!
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City Council Updates
I want to be clear: the City already has $2.4 billion in unused, authorized capital spending. This extra $1.3 billion has no project list, no timeline, no accountability, and a back loaded debt payment schedule.
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Public Safety Update
In anticipation of planned railway maintenance by Union Pacific, the closure of an encampment located behind the former Blommer factory and adjacent to the Kinzie Park community took place on Tuesday. This area had recently seen an uptick in unhoused individuals and criminal activity, leading to arrests for narcotics distribution and physical assault. This presented a public safety challenge to both the inhabitants at the site and the surrounding community.
The individuals living underneath the tracks were notified in mid-October of the scheduled maintenance and were asked to remove their belongings by mid-December. This was done for the safety of the unhoused residents at the site and has occurred at similar locations across the City.
Over the past several months, the Department of Family & Support Services performed weekly outreach visits where individuals were offered rapid re-housing, received mental health resources, and were able to obtain state IDs. As a result of these efforts, twenty individuals have been matched with housing and are currently being placed by DFSS. Six individuals declined this support, but it remains available and DFSS will continue to work with them to find a suitable housing solution.
I am thankful for the assistance my office received from DFSS and other partner agencies. This work led to the rapid re-housing of several individuals, ensured that the viaduct area was clean and safe, and allowed crucial infrastructure maintenance to occur. My office will continue to partner with city agencies and neighbors to ensure that our community is safe and accessible for everyone.
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Serve as a Poll Worker for the March 17th, 2026 Primary!
The Chicago Board of Elections is seeking poll workers for the March 17th, 2026 Primary, including bilingual election judges who speak Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Polish, Korean, and Tagalog. To learn more and apply, please visit the Board of Elections website.
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Overnight Parking Ban
December 1 - April 1, 3am-7am
The City's winter overnight parking ban is now in effect along 107 miles of main streets across Chicago, in addition to the Snow Route parking ban that applies to additional streets any time there is more than 2 inches of snowfall.
Please be mindful of posted signage to avoid getting ticketed or towed.
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Help shape the Chicago Inspector General's project priorities for 2026!
OIG is accepting feedback through December 31, 2025.
The City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) has published two draft documents that share details of proposed projects under consideration for 2026. Both documents are posted on OIG’s website for public review and comment.
Community feedback helps OIG prioritize projects for the coming year to align with what is of most concern and importance to all Chicagoans. OIG invites you to explore both draft plans and encourages you to provide your feedback by taking the community feedback survey at igchicago.org/survey.
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Know Your Rights
The City has created a "Protecting Chicago" website to connect neighbors with resources and information about their immigration rights in Chicago. Please click below to be connected with the City's new "Protecting Chicago" site.
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Visit participating businesses on Madison through January and enjoy deals as part of State Rep. Jawaharial Omar Williams' Turkey Trot!
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CDOT Electric Vehicle Survey
The Chicago Department of Transportation is asking residents to share their feedback on their Electric Vehicle and Mobility Infrastructure initiative through a short community survey. Click below to take the share your thoughts.
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West Loop Historic Plaques Project
The West Loop is steeped in history. In fact, we have 19 historical designations, but only two plaques: Old St. Pat’s- National Register of Historic Places plaque and The Jackson Boulevard Historic District- Chicago Landmark plaque.
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To see the rest of the designations, please visit Connie Fairbanks' website.
If you live in a historic building in The West Loop and have historical information about your building you would like to share, please reach out to Connie to learn the process of installing your very own historic plaque!
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CAPS Meetings
There are no CAPS meetings for the remainder of 2025. Stay tuned for the full 2026 schedule!
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Camera Registration Program
When a crime occurs, Police Officers and Detectives canvass the area looking for evidence to determine what occurred. Video footage can greatly assist in their efforts.
If you have a private security camera that captures the public way and you are interested in assisting in an investigation in the event of a crime in your neighborhood, you can register your camera with the Chicago Police Department.
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By registering your camera, you are simply allowing the Chicago Police Department to contact you in the event of a crime in your area. CPD will not have direct access to your camera system and cannot access camera footage without your consent. This is a free and voluntary program. Learn more on the program website.
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Work is underway for the Canal Street Viaduct reconstruction.
Update: December 18, 2025
Canal Street viaduct will be opened to northbound traffic on the west side lanes between Adams Street and Jackson Boulevard on December 22, 2025. The east side bus lanes will remain closed due to construction work occurring north of Adams Street. Northbound traffic from Van Buren will be set up to allow a right turn only at Jackson.
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Phase III began December 15th
Phase III of the Canal Viaduct Rehabilitation Project started on December 15th. This phase continues the viaduct rehabilitation on Canal above Union Station between Madison and Adams.
Two northbound lanes will remain open and pedestrian access will be maintained on the west sidewalk. For additional information, please visit the CDOT project site.
If you have any questions, please email the project email address at CDOTCanalProjects@gmail.com.
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Lake Street Bascule Bridge Rehabilitation
Closure started 9am on 10/6
The full street and sidewalk closure on the Lake Street Bascule Bridge is in effect and will last until January 2028. During the closures, access to nearby buildings and residences will be maintained for both pedestrians and vehicles.
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Eastbound traffic will be rerouted south on Des Plaines, east on Washington, north on Franklin, and east onto Lake St. Westbound traffic will be rerouted south on Wacker, west on Madison, north on Jefferson, and west onto Lake St. Click here for the full detour map. During this work, CTA Green and Pink lines will operate normally until September 2026. The work on the Lake Street Bascule Bridge is expected to be completed in January 2028.
- Wacker Drive Pedestrian Path: Starting 12/3, the north-south pedestrian crosswalk on Wacker Drive will be shifted into a protected closed lane on Wacker Drive.
- Lake Street Bridge Lifts: A bridge lift is tentatively scheduled for 12/12/25 to move the crane barge to the south side of the bridge.
The CDOT project website will be updated with the most up-to-date information on construction, and you can learn more here.
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Halsted Street & Chicago Avenue Bridge Project
The Halsted St / Chicago Ave project is underway. Crews have removed existing street lighting, traffic signals, signage, and bus shelters. Viaduct removal is underway along the north leg of Halsted and the east end of Chicago Ave.
Demolition of the Chicago Ave bridge will continue over the next month. In areas where demolition is complete, crews will begin constructing new bridge piers. Crews will implement measures to minimize disruptions as much as possible, but noise and dust are inherent to the bridge demolition process.
Full closure of the Chicago Ave Bridge began September 29. The current detour map can be found here. The full project is expected to be completed by the end of the year 2026.
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New Years Eve Street Closures
- MONDAY, DECEMBER 29
- 10 a.m. Franklin St. from Lake St. to Upper W. Wacker Drive
- WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31
- 10 a.m.: Upper W. Wacker Drive from Lake St. to Wells St. closes
- 10 a.m.: Orleans St. bridge closes
- 10 a.m.: Franklin St. from Lake St. to Wacker Dr. closes to pedestrian traffic
- 5:30 p.m.: Each bridge closes one sidewalk to pedestrian traffic
- 11:30 p.m.: River closes to boats, & Bridges close to traffic and pedestrians
- THURSDAY, JANUARY 1
- 12:15 a.m.: River and bridges reopen to traffic – one sidewalk of the bridges open to pedestrians
- 4 a.m.: Wacker Dr. and Orleans St. bridge reopen
- 3 p.m.: Franklin St. reopens
For more information visit the City's New Years Eve website.
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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 CTA train station will remain open until January 5th. The new station is expected to be finished in 2029, weather permitting.
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Ashland/I-290 Expressway Viaduct Work
Stage 1 traffic is currently being implemented on Ashland Av from Flournoy St to Jackson St to facilitate the reconstruction of the west side of the Ashland Ave bridge.
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In this stage, traffic configuration will consists of two lanes southbound and one lane northbound on Ashland Ave.
A detour plan for the restricted left turn lane from Ashland Ave to Van Buren St will be implemented to send traffic to WB Jackson Blvd, SB Laflin St, then WB Van Buren St. A detour plan will also be implemented for the restricted left turn lane from Ashland Ave to Congress Parkway to send traffic to EB Harrison St, NB Wood St, then EB Congress Parkway. In addition, that the west side sidewalk of the bridge will be closed, and pedestrians will be detoured to east side sidewalk of the bridge.
Stage 1 will remain in effect until the west side of the bridge is reconstructed. Following this, Stage 2 will be implemented to reconstruct the east half of the bridge. During Stage 2, traffic configuration will also consist of two lanes southbound and one lane northbound on Ashland Ave. The project is anticipated to be complete late Spring 2026. Stage 1 traffic configuration was implemented at the end of April, and is on schedule to be completed by December.
Motorists can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips through this area. Drivers are urged to pay close attention to flaggers and signs in the work zones, obey the posted speed limits and be on the alert for workers and equipment.
For road construction updates and general travel information please visit IDOT’s Getting Around Illinois website.
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The City of Chicago and Cook County are hiring! View their respective job posting sites below:
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Winter Break at the National Hellenic Museum
333 S. Halsted
Visit the National Hellenic Museum on December 26th for two exciting winter events! At 11am, join for a story time adventure with Cyclops in Central Park, and at 2pm, learn about the storied history of Greektown through an interactive tour.
Register in advance by clicking on the images below.
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Volunteer with Hope's Table!
The Hope’s Table ministry is designed to serve the needs of Chicagoans who are homeless or hungry and is sponsored by First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple.
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Saturday morning services typically include serving hot meals and food to go, distributing clothing, and connecting guests with legal support through DePaul University’s Neighborhood Legal Assistance Program. Grace Episcopal Church partners in many ways, most visibly by providing space at 637 S. Dearborn. To volunteer or donate, please contact their volunteer coordinator.
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Helping Cats Near You
4th Sunday of every month, 4pm - 6pm
Details here.
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Discuss how to help community cats through TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return), what to do with kittens, ongoing colony management, preventing nuisance issues and much more!
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