Chicago Mayor Johnson attends 2025 construction season kickoff event on South Side
As weather warms, construction season begins
CHICAGO (WLS) -- An event Tuesday morning marked the official start of construction season in Chicago.
Mayor Brandon Johnson joined other city leaders and construction workers at the 2FM Facility in Englewood.
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They all talked about the importance of construction season, despite the delays and challenges it can cause.
This year, the city plans to resurface more than 180 miles of arterial roads and residential streets.
That includes a stretch of Milwaukee Avenue, where already some traffic restrictions are being put in place.
For the next six weeks, the busy stretch of Milwaukee Avenue from Kinzie Street to Ogden Avenue will be getting a facelift, as crews not only resurface the River West section of Milwaukee, but also install new catch basins and bus boarding islands.
Temporary lane closures and local traffic restrictions went into effect Monday. Just don't blame the mayor if you're late to work.
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"To all the Chicagoans who are going to be upset with all of this infrastructure development and you're going to be mad at me because of traffic, you're welcome for all of this investment. And I'm going to have you talk to someone else about all the traffic problems," Johnson said Tuesday.
Among the other investments, there will be $63 million in street lighting improvements and 70 blocks of alley reconstruction to improve drainage and reduce flooding.
"With every resurfacing project, we are embedding safety and accessibility improvements. That means ADA, upgraded crosswalks and more accessible bus stops," Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Tom Carney said.
But perhaps the year's most significant projects will involve a $400 million federal, state and local investment to rebuild 16 of the city's aging bridges.
The most important of them is the long overdue replacement of the Chicago bridge, with a tied-arch structure that will include a new Riverwalk connection, a new dedicated bus lane and a separate bike lane.
The viaduct at Halsted Street and Chicago Avenue will also be rebuilt, with that project set to start later this year and extend well into 2026.
Officials are reminding drivers to exercise increased caution and to be alert of flaggers and other construction workers when going through active work zones.
