Dear Neighbor,

In yesterday's newsletter, we listed all the major improvements in the 47th Ward being led by my office.  One of those major efforts is the transformation of Lawrence Avenue. My vision is to connect the pedestrian friendly and retail characteristics that we see in Lincoln Square and Andersonville to Lawrence Avenue. Over the next few years, over $100 million dollars of investments will be made on Lawrence Avenue (new Metra station, Lawrence Avenue Streetscape, Mariano's/L.A. Fitness, etc). Kicking off these investments is replacement of a 100 year old water main on Lawrence Avenue. The details for this first project are below.

Contractors working with the Department of Water Management will be beginning work on Monday, November 5, to replace the water main dating back to 1893 that runs underneath Lawrence Ave. from Leavitt to Clark. 

The expected completion date for the pipe work and concrete cap is December 17, 2012.  The work consists of replacement of approximately 4000 linear feet of 8" water main with new water main along the north side of Lawrence Avenue.  The pipe placement will be approximately 10-12 feet south of the north curb.  The contractor plans to limit traffic to one lane in each direction during working hours, and will limit any parking restrictions to the areas immediately adjacent to our construction. Traffic will then resume to normal outside of the daytime working hours.  Some closures of side streets will be required, but the contractor will work to limit those to times outside of rush hour and detours will be posted.

 

The majority of the restoration on this project will be completed by the Chicago Department of Transportaion as part of the upcoming streetscape (expected to begin in Spring 2013).  However, the small areas which are not encompassed by CDOT's work will be paved by DWM's contractor after the asphalt plants open in the spring.  

 

This is the beginning of 2 years of infrastructure improvement work and other construction on Lawrence Ave.  We will schedule a community meeting in the very near future to give folks in the area a timeline for all of the upcoming projects on Lawrence and the summary of what we can expect.  Notice of the meeting will appear in the newsletter and we will also alert area neighborhood groups and Chambers of Commerce.  Thank you in advance for your patience as we work to revitalize Lawrence Ave. 

 

While this work will certainly be disruptive, we are working closely with the contractor to limit that disruption to the greatest extent possible.  If you encounter issues with the water main work, please contact Jim Poole in my office at 773-549-4462 or [email protected] and we will work with the Dept. of Water Management and their contractor to address any concerns that may arise.  

 

Sincerely,