Alderman Martin worked with Ald. Vasquez to secure the funding for CDOT to resurface Damen Ave from Wilson Ave north to Farragut.

The work will involve grinding down the existing asphalt, raising manholes and other utility services to meet the street level, and repaving the streets with new asphalt. This will include replacing the asphalt on the street and replacing ADA ramps as well as damaged sidewalks.

On Damen, CDOT will also be making pedestrian safety improvements in the form of curb extensions and raised intersections at Leland and at Winnemac. They will also include improvements to bicycle facilities.

On 8/14 our office, along with CDOT and the 40th Ward, hosted a virtual meeting to discuss the work and address any concerns that residents or businesses may have. You can view a recording of this meeting here.

Update (10/31/24):

The portion of Damen between Argyle to Farragut was paved on 9/20. Concrete work was completed down to Wilson by mid-October.

Crews are working on repaving Damen Ave. Final paving of the street was scheduled for Friday 11/1, to be completed early next week.

Giddings Plaza is a staple of the community and has been well-loved for decades. However, the condition of the plaza has worsened over the years, with missing pavers and tripping hazards that make the plaza difficult to navigate for our seniors, young children, and disabled residents. 

Starting on August 12th, CDOT will begin work to remove and replace the pavers on the plaza to eliminate these tripping hazards. The work will replace all the pavers, remove the broken water fountain (behind a bench near Jerry’s) to be replaced with a planter, and remove one of the trees in the plaza due to its health and impact on the pavers. 

After consulting with nearby businesses, our office coordinated with CDOT and the project contractor to create a plan that would have the least impact on the surrounding businesses, residents, and users of the plaza. The updated plan divides the plaza into 5 sections for the work to be completed in a phased manner.

Crews will work on one section of the plaza at a time – working from Lincoln back toward the alley – leaving the rest of the plaza open for pedestrian traffic. This phased approach will allow the plaza to still be partially accessible for pedestrians and residents, and will have the least amount of impact on the adjacent businesses and sidewalk cafés. During each phase, a 6-foot-fence will be put up along the perimeter of the relevant section to guarantee neighbors' safety. Equipment and materials will be brought from behind the plaza, but the alley will remain accessible throughout.

Update (10/10/24):

Work was completed on Giddings Plaza, before Apple Fest. The contractor will complete punch list items over the past couple of weeks.

The City has started work on two new green alleys in the alley bounded by Irving Park, Ashland, Belle Plaine, and Paulina and the alley bounded by Cullom, Hoyne, Pensacola, and Damen to address years of flooding issues. Green (or permeable) alleys are fully reconstructed to incorporate permeable pavers and catch basins to permanently reduce the amount of standing water.

Construction, which started in early October, is expected to last 5 weeks, weather permitting. During that time, there will be no access to the alleys. Residential garbage pickup will be curbside.

10/31/24 Update:

Work is nearly complete in the Irving Park alley, which has reopened to traffic.

Crews aim to reopen the Pensacola alley in the first two weeks of November.

Alderman Martin helped the CTA secure $20M to proceed with a large-scale renovation of the Western Brown Line station, which will take place in 2024 and 2025.

The Alderman and the CTA have co-hosted two community meetings to help shape the work; you can read reporting about the first meeting here. You can also view a recording of the second meeting, hosted on 5/29/24, at this link.

Update (10/24/24):

Starting on Sunday 10/13 at 9pm and until the morning of Sunday 11/10, the Loop-bound platform of the Western Brown Line Station will be closed for reconstruction. Riders headed toward the Loop from that station will need to ride a Kimball-bound train until Rockwell and switch to Rockwell. Riders aiming for that station from Kimball will have to get off at Damen and switch to a Kimball-bound train there.

The Department of Transportation is building the Leland Neighborhood Greenway from Rockwell Ave to Clark St. This low-stress bikeway slow traffic for the benefit of cyclists and pedestrians and will allow cyclists to safely bike from the lake to the river. Improvements will include:

• bike-friendly speed humps;

• detached curb extensions (bump-outs), landscaped west of Western;

• a contraflow bike lane on one-way stretches to allow cyclists to travel in both directions;

• raised crosswalks;

• a protected bike lane and traffic diverter between Lincoln and Western.

You can find out more about the project here.

Update (10/10/24):

Contractors have finished building the project’s bump-outs and are now working on striping the bike markings, including contraflow lanes. They will also be installing speed humps.

Building off the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce’s 2019 Master Plan, Alderman Martin has worked with the community and CDOT to make large-scale improvements to the heart of Lincoln Square, aimed at improving the pedestrian and cyclist experience in the area around the Western Brown Line station, as well as ensure that that area is better suited to welcome the many festivals that take place there each here.

Improvements will target the “Farmers Market” parking lot and the plaza adjacent to the El station. Those spaces, as well as Leland Ave itself will be raised to provide one continuous pedestrian space that is easily convertible for events. The space under the El tracks from Lincoln to the station will be improved with better paving and lighting. A bidirectional protected bike lane will allow cyclists to travel east and west along Leland.

You can read reporting about the last community meeting on the topic here.

Update:

The project was put out to bid in August of 2024. CDOT and the Public Building Commission intends to select a contractor in September for preliminary work to begin in November 2024. The project will mostly be underway between April and July 2025.

As part of its Collector Resurfacing program, CDOT plans to repave Cornelia Ave between Paulina St and Western Ave.

The Department of Water Management intends to replace the water mains under Greenview Ave from Berteau to Cullom and under Hutchinson Ave from Greenview to Clark. This project is tentatively scheduled for 2024 but no clearer timeline has been set.

The Department of Water Management intends to replace the water main under Paulina St from Ainslie St to Winnemac Ave. This project is tentatively scheduled for 2024 but no clearer timeline has been set.