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Chicago 2026 Budget Proposal

Today, Mayor Johnson unveiled his proposal for the 2026 budget, which included new taxes and fees to close the $1 billion deficit we are facing. For the long-term success of our city, we need to promote growth and build affordable, safe communities for everyone. I have concerns about the Mayor sweeping $1 billion in TIFs, which could impact good-paying trade labor jobs and neighborhood development across our city, and the proposed "head tax" which would hurt jobs and investment in Chicago.

The upcoming weeks will be full of budget hearings to learn more about departmental expenditures, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to reduce the City’s own spending and make government run more efficiently before we consider asking Chicagoans to pay more.

Arts in the Dark Parade

Saturday, October 18

State Street from Randolph to Van Buren

The annual Arts in the Dark Parade steps off at 6pm on Saturday, October 18th, at State and Randolph and heads south to Van Buren. I hope you can join for another exciting year showcasing State Street and our vibrant arts and culture community ahead of Halloween. Click here to learn more!

No Parking Restrictions 

• Randolph, State to Wabash – 6:00am – 10:00pm -- for set up
• Wacker, from Wabash to Wells – 4:00pm – 8:30pm -- Staging Area
• State St, from Wacker to Lake – 4:00pm – 8:30pm – Staging Area
• Van Buren & Jackson, from Wabash to Wacker – 5:00pm – 9:00pm (bus parking only allowed)

Street Closures

In addition to State Street between Randolph and Van Buren, the East/West streets from Lake to Van Buren will be closed from 5:00pm – 8:30pm between Wabash and Dearborn.

All streets will be reopened at the discretion of the CPD.

Please expect traffic delays in the area bounded by Michigan, Wells, Wacker to Ida B Wells during these times.

Due to the "No Kings" gathering in Grant Park on Saturday afternoon, please be advised that there will be additional traffic in the Loop, with a potential protest route moving north on Michigan to Wacker, where it will turn west and continue on Wacker. Please seek alternate routes and report any suspicious activity to 9-1-1. Click here for information on how you can sign up for emergency alerts from OEMC to stay apprised of traffic and safety impacts.

High School Open Houses

If you have an 8th grade student considering options for high school, I encourage you to attend one (or two!) of the upcoming open houses for Whitney Young High School or Jones College Prep. These selective enrollment schools have applications live on GoCPS until the November 14th deadline (click here to visit the application portal).

Whitney Young High School, 211 S. Laflin Street

• Sunday, October 19, 2025, with presentations every half hour from 12:30 pm - 3 pm.

Jones College Prep, 700 S. State Street

• October 25, 2025, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm (the school recommends arriving early as they are expecting many attendees)
• Jones offers Career and Technical Education programs in Pre-Law and Engineering, which you can apply for on the GoCPS platform.

Green City Market

900 W. Monroe

Saturdays 8am-1pm, starting May 3

This year, the market has moved to the 900 block of W. Monroe, between Peoria and Sangamon. 

My team looks forward to meeting with neighbors from 9am-11am (weather permitting)!

Daley Plaza Farmers Market

• 50 W. Washington
• Thursdays, May 22 - October 23 (No market June 19)
• 7 a.m. - 2 p.m.

South Loop Farmers Market

• Printers Row: 632 S. Dearborn
  • Saturdays, May 24 - November 1, (No Market Sept. 6)
  • 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

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.

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights also has opportunities for individuals interested in volunteering and learning more about how to support our neighbors through their Family Support Network and Hotline. Please click here for their resources and more information about ICIRR.

Apply for the Skinner West Local School Council!

Deadline: October 17th at 5pm

The Skinner West Local School Council is seeking a Community Representative to strengthen the connection between our neighborhood and the school and shape the future of Skinner West.

To apply, please submit the completed application and proof of identification to the school's main office located at 1260 W. Adams.

2025 Street Sweeping Schedule

Street sweeping started April 1st, and the schedule is live! Find a map and scheduled dates here. Be sure to move your vehicle on your posted street sweeping dates to avoid getting ticketed or towed. 

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. To see the rest of the designations, please visit Connie Fairbanks' website.

She is also working on historical plaques for non-landmarked buildings. The 850 West Adams Board already installed a plaque on their building that was built by Alfred S. Alschuler in 1910. Only a Condo Board approval and payment is needed for these types of plaques.

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! 

2025 Beat Meeting Schedules

Please join my team at upcoming CAPS meetings with the 1st and 12th Police Districts. CAPS (Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy) meetings are a great opportunity to meet with police, neighbors, and my team about local safety initiatives. To find your beat, click here. I hope you can join us at these meetings!

1st & 12th District Community Conversations

The 1st and 12th Police Districts are hosting two community conversations in their districts. These meetings will help the districts refine their strategic plans for next year.  Your input will help the police allocate resources to specific areas of concern in our community.

• 1st Police District: Community Conversation #1
  • October 22nd at 3pm
  • Macy's Walnut Room - 111 N. State
• 1st Police District: Community Conversation #2
  • October 29th at 6pm
  • Chicago Women's Fieldhouse - 205 E. 18th St
• 12th Police District: Community Conversation #2
  • October 30th at 6pm
  • Holy Trinity Catholic Church - 1118 N. Noble

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

• The contractor has planned nightwork for this Saturday morning involving bridge lifting, October 18th from 1AM to 5AM during non CTA service hours.  This work is taking place within the current Lake closure.
• Tentatively scheduled for next Thursday October 23rd, for approximately 7am to 4pm CTA and COMED will be closing the North sidewalk West of the bridge between the 444 River Plaza Stairs. This is anticipated for 1 day only, and West Lake Crosswalk, stairwell, and doorway access will remain open.  This North sidewalk closure will be West of the current long-term full roadway and sidewalks closure in place.

The CDOT project website will be updated with the most up-to-date information on construction, and you can learn more here.

With any ongoing questions about this project, please reach out to the CDOT project team.

Street Closures

• Saturday, October 18th
  • Canal will be closed between Lake and Randolph for a crane lift
• Saturday, October 25th, 8am-12pm (backup date of October 26th)
  • To allow for a helicopter lift at the Chicago Board of Trade, there will be street and sidewalk closures on the following streets:
    • Van Buren from Clark to Wells
    • Financial from Jackson to Ida B. Wells.
    • LaSalle from Jackson to Van Buren

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. The north sidewalk across the bridge will close 9/15. One westbound lane on Lake St will close on 9/15, as well. In late September, early morning site survey will begin on the roadway and sidewalk, which will require the bridge to be lifted from 10pm-5am each day. The dates for these lifts are not yet set--stay tuned for future updates.

The CTA train station will remain open, and access to surrounding businesses will be maintained throughout construction. The new station is expected to be finished in 2029.

Halsted Street & Chicago Avenue Bridge Project

The first month of the Halsted St / Chicago Ave project is complete. 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.

Speed Camera Installations

Automated speed cameras are planned for installation at the following locations:

• on Racine, between Harrison and Lexington
• INSTALLED - on Desplaines, between Jackson and Monroe
• on Jefferson, between Jackson and Monroe
• INSTALLED - on Michigan, between Monroe and Van Buren
  • 30-day warning period began on 8/1, with citations starting 9/15

These locations were chosen because of their proximities to parks and schools. Installation dates will be shared as they are available.

Bridge Repairs

2025 Menu Improvement Projects

The following project start dates are subject to change, pending weather and equipment considerations.

Street Resurfacing Projects

• Wabash from Wacker to Balbo
  • Wacker to Randolph
    • Resurfacing to begin as early as October 6th
    • Sidewalk work continues on the south side of Lake
  • Monroe to Jackson
    • Resurfacing planned late October
  • Jackson to Balbo
    • Milling mid-October with resurfacing planned mid-November
• Complete: N. Garland Ct., from W. Randolph to W. Washington
• Complete: N. Holden Ct., from W. Washington to dead end
• Completed: N. Green Street, from Madison to Washington
• Completed: N. Peoria Street, from Madison to Washington
• Completed: S. Ada Street, from Lexington to Flournoy
• Completed: W. Polk Street, from Morgan to Racine
• On hold: S. Carpenter Street, from Taylor to Arthington

Alley Improvement Projects

• North/south alley bounded by S. Wabash, S. State, E. Jackson, E. Adams
  • Scheduled to begin after the Chicago Marathon
• North/south alley bounded by S. Wabash, S. Michigan, E. Adams, E. Jackson
  • Completed with punchlist items to follow
• Completed: East/west alley bounded by S. Racine, S. Aberdeen, W. Adams St., W. Monroe St.
• Completed: North/south alley bounded by W. Flournoy, W. Harrison, S. Racine, W. Westgate
• On hold: North/south alley bounded by W. Taylor St., W. Arthington St., S. Carpenter St., S. Aberdeen St.
• Rescheduled: East/west alley bounded by W. Lexington St., W. Flournoy St., S. Ada St., S. Lytle St.
  • The alley bounded by Lexington, Flournoy, Ada & Lytle, that was scheduled for improvement, has been pushed back to 2026 due to contractor capacity.

Sidewalk Improvements

• In progress: tripping hazards at 802 and 837 S. Carpenter

Residential Bump Out Installations

• W. Monroe & S. Green – detached bump outs - (1) at each corner
  • In progress

• Completed: W. Van Buren & S. Aberdeen – (1) curb extension to be installed on the N/W corner
• S. Jefferson & W. Congress – (2) curb extensions to be installed on the S/W & S/E corners
  • In progress
• S. Jefferson & W. Harrison – (2) curb extensions to be installed on the N/W & N/E corners
  • In progress

Residential Lighting Improvement Projects

• 800 & 900 block of S. Carpenter – in progress
• 800 & 900 block of S. Miller – in progress
• 1000 block of W. Arthington – in progress
• 1000 block of W. Cabrini – in progress

If you have any questions regarding these or any other infrastructure projects here in the 34th Ward, please reach out to Dan from my office at 312-744-6820 or via email to dan@ward34.org.

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. 

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 2025, and is on schedule to be completed by November.

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.

Traffic Management: Tribune and U-Haul Demolition

• Monday-Friday truck traffic will be focused from 9am – 4pm to avoid the morning and afternoon commuter rush hours. Once trucks are on-site, they will be on private property and not in the public right of way.
• Weekends will be used for heavy hauling and will limit truck traffic from 8:00am – 8:00pm.

• Traffic entrance and exit as noted in the above diagram (please note, barging material as shown, is not an option at this point). If more entrances and access become available, Brandenburg will consider editing said plan.
• Brandenburg has a scale set up onsite and random trucks leaving the site will be weighed to verify optimal capacity and to adhere to city trucking load limits.
• This plan will be modified as conditions in the field dictate.

Work is underway for the Canal Street Viaduct reconstruction.

Update: September 25, 2025

The contractor will be pouring the bridge sidewalk for the viaduct above Union Station this weekend, and during that time Canal between Jackson and Van Buren will be closed. The closure will begin at 8:00PM Friday 9/26 and end at 5:00AM Monday 9/29. This will be the same type of closure that occurred earlier in September.

Reconstruction of the Canal Street Viaduct between Adams Street and Jackson Boulevard continues. The concrete bridge deck on Canal Street has been poured and the east sidewalk is now open.
 
The remaining work includes west sidewalk construction, drainage, traffic signals, lighting, pavement marking, street signs and Union Station restoration.   

The project is anticipated to be completed in February 2026. If you have any questions, please email the project email address at CDOTCanalProjects@gmail.com.

The City of Chicago and Cook County are hiring! View their respective job posting sites below:

• City of Chicago
• Cook County

Homerathon

National Hellenic Museum
October 23rd, 12:30pm - 8:00pm
October 24th, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Join the National Hellenic Museum for Homerathon, their annual reading of Homer’s Odyssey in the way it was meant to be experienced – aloud and in community! They are thrilled to partner with the University of Illinois Chicago’s Department of Classics and Mediterranean Studies to once again bring this important work to life. Additionally, this year, Homerathon is a featured event of the Chicago Cultural Alliance’s Journey Chicago.

How You Can Join:
• Be a reader: No experience needed! Sign up for a 3-minute passage.
• Or just listen: Sit back and be transported by Odysseus’s adventures.

Madison Row Trick or Treat

October 31st, 3pm-6pm

Madison from Morgan to Elizabeth

Join us for West Central Association's annual Trick or Treat on Madison Row! If you're a business interested in participating, sign up here.

This year, we're seeking volunteers to help direct traffic and keep folks safe during the event. If you're interested, please click here to sign up.

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.

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.

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!

To unsubscribe from 'Conway's Corner,' please click here.