Oh,
I got tied up.
How was that again?
No, I got it. Just say it.
Yeah.
How are you? Tea fan?
Definitely.
You got a kid from me to question that.
Well, you got another question.
No, that's what the box fixed on.
Yeah.
No, no. The story I'm telling about the other day is a cat.
Right.
It was happening again.
No. It's all right. I really think it's
better. Yeah, it's better.
Yeah.
That's it.
That's better. Welcome to
better.
That's where it all goes down.
Yeah.
Functionally goes. Yeah.
Da, da.
Yeah.
So that part is the...
Yeah.
Great. Now who
did
fight
really?
It's right there.
So they got-- Rita's got the race up.
Oh, we're saying was that from Jamie?
Yeah.
They can't even get over the left.
Oh, no. Well, after all, Cinco is next door.
That
was bad.
That was crazy bad.
Yeah.
It was especially because the game
ran late, so between that 7:30 to 8:30, we couldn't move our
tackles.
Yeah, a couple of
hours.
Oh, easily.
Can't go climb up.
See, then you forgot.
No.
You were the
young
prince and you're damn old, man.
Right, you're 89 years old. You can't see in the light.
You got to be--
The most dangerous man.
You can't go
eight up in the night.
Da, da, da, da, da. Da, da, da, da, da.
Here is Brian.
Call
to order for June 9th, 2026.
We will now have a roll call to establish quorum. Chairman Laspada, present.
Vice Chair Cruz, online perhaps.
Alderman Hopkins.
Alderman Robinson. Alderman Yancey.
Alderman Chico. Alderman Quinn.
Alderman Moore.
Alderman Curtis.
Alderman Moore is online.
Thank you, sir. Be with you in one moment. Alderman Burnett.
Alderman Irvin.
Alderman Knudsen.
Alderman Lawson.
Alderman Martin.
And Alderwoman Manahappenworth.
No non-members present. There are eight members present.
We have a quorum. All-
Chairman
Yes, sir. We are so moving
for Alderman Bennett Lawson. Confirm yourself, sir.
Morning. Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, sir. Alderman Moore is with us. Vice Chair Cruz?
Alderman Moore is here, yes.
All right.
Cruz is here.
Yes.
Chairman Hopkins motions to
allow Alders
Moore, Cruz, and Lawson to participate remotely.
All those in favor say aye. All those opposed say nay.
In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
Alders Moore, Cruz, and Lawson are present here
today by video conference and will be counted accordingly for the roll call.
Chairman? Yes? Alderman Robinson also requested a
Rule 59. Sorry, I missed you up there. iPhone.
May I have a motion as well to allow Alderman Robinson?
So moved by Alderman Martin. All those in favor say aye.
In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
Alderman Robinson as well with us today by video conference and will be counted
accordingly for the roll call.
At this time, we will begin the public comment period.
Out of respect for everybody's time, each speaker is limited to three minutes.
Speakers, in accordance with Rule 58 of the City Council Rules
of Order, please refrain from profane language, obscene conduct,
or disruptive comments. We will begin with our virtual
speaker, Peter Cesnika. Peter, are you with us?
I
am here. Thank you.
Truly I am as well, sir. Feel free to proceed.
As you know, the 11th edition of the Manual for Uniform
Traffic Control Devices, the MUTCD, has been
adopted for use by IDOT and by CDOT.
Previously, MUTCD general conditions for
establishment of right-of-way control at
unsignalized intersections said,
quote, "Guidance: Stop signs should not be
used for speed control." End quote.
The MUTCD general conditions for establishment of right-of-way
control at unsignalized intersections now says,
"Standard
stop signs shall not be used for speed
control." Because the MUTCD authors realize
that the excessive use of stop sign control at residential
street intersections, like that on many Chicago
residential street intersections, diminishes the
effectiveness of stop signs that are properly warranted
and needed.
Drivers cease paying attention to any stop signs.
CDOT routinely uses this boilerplate language when
responding to alders who want new residential street
intersection stop sign control. Quote, "When
determining if a stop sign is warranted, CDOT follows federal guidelines
established in the MUTCD. In this case, CDOT is not
opposed to installing an all-way stop at X Avenue and Y
Avenue, since both streets are residential streets, and the use is
consistent with MUTCD guidance."
What was once MUTCD guidance is now
MUTCD standard, and that use is
not consistent with MUTCD standards.
There is no both streets are residential streets stop control
warrant. I note that we have an unwanted do stop
control intersection of residential streets in my 45th Ward
on today's agenda, North Melvina and West Berwyn Avenue.
CDOT could not provide a proper stop control warrant in response to my
recent FOIA request for the intersection.
I ask that this committee stop approving new stop sign
control of residential street intersections by relying on the
misleading CDOT boilerplate, quote, "Approvals," end quote,
of new stop signs because an alder wants a favor.
Stop approving illegal direct introductions of new
stop sign control of residential street intersections because
some alderman wants a favor.
Stop control warrants are required by the MUTCD and state law.
Unwarranted stop control diminishes the effectiveness of warranted
stop control. Don't fail to provide proper warrants going
forward. When the city does something that it's not
legally allowed to, the door to legal settlements
opens wide. Thank you.
Thank you, sir. Our next speaker is Mr. George Blakemore.
Mr. Blakemore, speak eloquent.
I'm outraged.
How can you have two meetings at 10:00?
How can you have a quorum when some of you sit on both
committees, then Hopkins ran over here, then back?
The reason you can do this is because the people are
sour.
Who does this or do this, one of these words?
Mr. Blakemore,
what's going on here?
What is happening here?
Make it make sense. Mr. Curtis and all of you old Black ones, you Mexicans,
you white ones, you Hispanic, why would you do that?
Why would you
do
that? At what
price to go through each one of these people dying
I brought our foster children, and other people, they
went and did, did, did, did all the- on
South.
You better do better. As if people are supposed to throw out a
kid and look at what time it is now.
There's something terribly wrong with the people
in the city of Chicago. You are at fault.
Why would you do that?
Make it make sense. Why would you have
two meetings
the same day,
the same time, and it's the same place?
And the citizens are not able. You are denying me
and the citizens the right to go to both of
the meetings.
So these people up here are looking at me as a silo.
But let's say they're 501 [c] 3 contractor, they can't
come from the government. I'm not getting nothing from you.
I don't owe you nothing. And you know what? You can kiss.
Use your imagination. Just use it.
I'm outraged, Mr. Claypool. Don't get outraged with them.
But if the citizens had something wrong with them,
there's nothing wrong with these political hacks. Man, he's looking up there.
Mr. Claypool,
don't beat up on them. You deserve something
you did, and you get the government treatment you deserve, and this is what you
get.
This is what you entitled to get, and you know I'm
right.
You know I'm right. But your silence,
you let them get away with it, and that's why they say, "Security,
put him out. Lock him up. Put him in jail.
He's trespassing. Behave."
You
know
what? You can kiss. I'm raging.
Thank you, sir. Our next speaker is W.
Robert Schultz III.
You put a lot.
You put a lot on the line every day.
Whoo!
Never seen nothing like it in my life.
Don't say that. If you don't say that, it's just, it's just letting you.
Get away, get away. Get away!
Thank you for your patience, Mr. Schultz.
Good morning.
Can you hear me? Okay, fine. Good morning. My name is W.
Robert Schultz III.
As you know, I'm on staff at the Active Transportation Alliance
as a campaign organizer. I'm wearing today our
T-shirt, Safe Streets for All. It's one of our campaigns that
we're working upon because it's very important,
both in light of your consideration of this
ADA transition ordinance and the
recent fatality
on a bike,
one of your
Chicago Department of Transportation staff,
Riley O'Neill. He's been very
important to the transportation
transformation with regard to bike lanes in the city.
So his loss will be deeply felt.
I just want to share a little bio.
I moved to Chicago 36 years ago, and I moved here
because of our public transportation system,
something what we lacked in West Michigan.
And, my first professional job
was at Access Living, and I was mentored
there by Marca Bristol, rest in peace, who
was one of the primary
proponents of the American with Disabilities Act.
And she
had a very important lesson for me, and I try to share it with
everyone, that we are all tabs, in other
words, temporarily able-bodied.
We don't know when disability will hit.
It's hit my family just recently. I have several
friends with disabilities. Some are visible,
some aren't. And then we're all aging.
I'm 71. I don't walk as fast as I used to or
as run like I could. So it's very important
as we look at the design of the city and our
streets, in particular, our
pedestrian crossings,
because that's a big point of conflict for people
who use wheelchairs, mobility devices, people like me who
aren't able to walk as fast. And,
I've been in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Kalamazoo recently,
and they have some really on par audio
devices for people with visual impairments and
other impairments
at intersections that it announces what street you're
planning to cross. The audio is clear,
and I think it's far superior to what I've seen installed here in
Chicago. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Schultz. Our next speaker, and I'm going to do my very, very
best, Maria Moctezuma.
Maria, are you with us?
Hello. I'm a resident from the 12th Ward.
Out of respect for the cyclist who tragically lost his life this past weekend, our
thoughts and condolences are with his family, friends, and loved ones during this
difficult time.This tragedy is a reminder that before we
are drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians, or neighbors, respect for one
another must always come first. We continue to have concerns about the
Complete Street project and believe aspects of the current design should be
reconsidered or
our concerns include the loss of parking for small businesses, potential
impacts on emergency vehicle access, CTA and school bus
delays, and overall affecting our working blue-collar residents and
local commerce. At the same time, we recognize that everyone
wants safer streets. Instead of this,
bicyclists, drivers, pedestrians, business, and
residents should come together to better understand one another's needs and
work towards solution that benefits everyone.
Accountability must be part of a conversation.
Infrastructure can improve safety, but it cannot replace personal
responsibility. Streets are only as safe as the people using them,
whether driving, biking, or walking.
We all share the responsibility to follow the rules, stay alert,
and respect one another. We also believe people should have the freedom to
choose the mode of transportation that best fits their lives.
Every individual and family have different needs, and those
choices deserve respect. The goal should not be to
divide neighbors or force a one-size-fit-all approach to
create streets that safely accommodate.
Unfortunately, if we, as a community, do not come together to
address street safety as a shared responsibility, incidents
like this past weekend may continue to occur.
No single design, policy, or group
has all the answers.
Excuse me.
Real progress comes when community works together.
Together, listen to one another and seek solutions that consider all
perspectives. Since the beginning of our weekly protests, we've
repeatedly extended an invitation for open dialogue and discussion.
While those invitations were not yet resulted in a community
conversation, the offer remains.
We are willing to sit down, listen, and share concerns, and better
understand one another's viewpoints and hope to finding common ground
and improving safety. As we reflect on this loss, we
encourage respectful dialogue, understanding, and cooperation.
We may not agree on every solution, but we can agree that every life
matters and that our community is the strongest when we work together and not
apart.
Our next speaker is Patricia Puente.
Patricia, are you with us?
Okay, this concludes
our public comment period.
The committee also received one written comment that was distributed to
members. Before we proceed,
and this was brought up briefly, I want to take a moment to
recognize the passing of Riley O'Neill.
For those who are unaware,
Riley was a member of the Chicago Department of Transportation team.
He was
a committed and joyful servant of this city.
All of us, regardless of whether we ride a bicycle or not,
our lives have been improved by the work that he did and
the way he lived his life and the way he did his
work. And because it was named,
I need to say this,
Riley was a completely responsible cyclist.
Riley was doing everything that we could ask a cyclist to do to be safe
and still lost his life in our streets.
He was failed in many ways
by matters that we can address and are addressing in the work of this
committee, and I wish we were doing it
more quickly and sometimes more effectively.
But I
do dedicate my work to him, to his life,
and to those who loved him.
I would ask one moment of silence.
Thank you.
Our first order of business is the Rule 45 report from May, which was
sent out via email and distributed to committee members.
May I have a motion to approve the May Rule 45 report?
Alderwoman Emma Habnerweirth so moves.
All of those in favor of passing the report, say aye.
All of those opposed, say nay.
In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
We will move on to item two on page one, which is order
OR
2026-0023422,
call for City of Chicago to develop Americans with Disabilities Act or
ADA transition plan in accordance with the requirements of the
ADA. We've prepared and distributed a substitute
order for this item. The substitute removes the 18-month
deadline for the completion of the ADA transition plan and instead
requires reporting from city departments to the committee every six months.
It also makes a change in the language specifying the requirements of the
ADA at the request of the Department of Law.
Can I have a motion to accept this substitute ordinance order?
Alderman Chico so moves. Hearing no objection, so ordered.
We do have a few guests who will speak to this item.
Committee members, please reserve your questions until all of our guests have
spoken. We will begin with Victoria Barrett from the
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. Victoria?
Good morning. My name is Victoria Barrett.
I am the program lead for the Safe Systems program
area at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for
PlanningToday, I will share a little bit of what
CMAP has learned about the importance of proactive planning to
address accessibility, safety, and mobility.
CMAP is the federally designated metropolitan planning organization and
state-authorized regional planning agency for northeastern Illinois.
State law gives CMAP the responsibility to effectively address
development and transportation challenges in northeastern Illinois through
streamlined, consolidated regional planning and integrated plans for
land use and transportation. As part of our work, CMAP's
Accessible Communities Program equips local governments with resources to
improve accessibility and comply with the Americans with
Disabilities Act, known as the ADA.
We offer ADA trainings, research, and data on accessibility in our region,
and technical assistance projects to create ADA transition plans
throughout the region. I'd like to first
define some of the key terms and requirements to help frame my
presentation. The ADA was passed in 1990.
In essence, it prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities and
ensures that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as others.
The ADA is organized into different titles, with each applying to different
kinds of entities. Title II is related to public
entities. It works to ensure that people with disabilities have equal
opportunity to participate in public services, programs, and
activities. And lastly, I'll highlight the Public
Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines, or PROWAG,
which specifically addresses accessibility within the public
right of way. PROWAG was adopted by the US Department of
Transportation, and when PROWAG is adopted by the US Department of
Justice, it will be the federal standard.
Under ADA Title II, for municipalities of 50 or more,
contractors are not included, there are five administrative
requirements. They are: to post an ADA
notice that notifies the public about their rights under the
ADA.
Number two, designate an ADA coordinator.
This is an individual who is responsible within a public agency for
ensuring compliance with the ADA.
Three is develop a grievance procedure, which is a process
for reporting and resolving accessibility issues.
Number four, to conduct a self-evaluation.
A self-evaluation is a public entity's assessment of everything,
including its programs, services, and activities,
facilities, and current policies and procedures.
The self-evaluation identifies any barriers to access that are
inconsistent with its Title II requirements.
And finally, the creation of a transition plan.
The transition plan is a living, planning document that builds
upon the self-evaluation to understand how, in the long
term, physical barriers will be remedied or removed to
achieve ADA compliance.
Those are the administrative requirements that are part of the law.
But what is the impact?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in four
people
have a disability. In our region, that translates to over
two million residents, and in Chicago alone, that's
680,000 people with a disability.
The most common type of disability is difficulty walking.
That could include people that use a wheelchair, but it could also include people
that use walkers or a cane, but who need to be careful about
trip hazards. In Chicago, mobility difficulties
affect 165,000 people, or 6% of the
population.
We also know that our region is aging.
In 2010, adults aged 65 and older constituted
just 10% of our regional population.
By 2040, that share is expected to double to
20% of our region. This significant share of
older adults will drive further need for accessibility in our
communities.
I'm going to share a few facts that CMAP has learned in
its work on improving accessibility.
According to the US Department of Transportation, about a third of Americans
do not drive. This translates to about 900,000 city
residents who may not drive. The reasons vary.
Of course, there are licensing requirements that prohibit children under the age of
16 from driving, but did you know that about a quarter of the people over the
age of 65 can't drive due to an age-related health
issue?
Together, these groups capture about 700,000 people within the city.
For some people, the cost of owning, operating, and storing a car are
prohibitive. The Automobile Association of America estimates that the
average cost of owning a car now exceeds $1,000 a month, and this
number is growing with rising insurance costs.
In the city of Chicago, 301,000 households do
not own a vehicle.
More than 370,000 Chicagoans walk, bike, or take
transit to get to work on a regular basis, either by necessity or
choice. These travelers depend on public investments in sidewalks,
transit stations, and bicycle infrastructure for their daily needs.
These non-driving travelers, along with much of the disability community, face
some increased risks when it comes to traffic
safety. Disabled people are five times more
likely to be injured as a pedestrian than non-disabled
people. According to new research, disabled people
report 22 injuries from motor vehicle crashes per million miles
walked, compared to only 4.8 injuries among pedestrians
without a disability.
I'll close with the opportunity here.
Whether the conversation centers on disability, equity, children, older
Americans, or just providing safe travel choices, accessibility
improvements done proactively benefit many
ChicagoansOn top of
the safety benefits for many travelers, with a proactive
accessibility program, it is important to recognize the risks associated
with non-compliance. We know that proactive accessibility
planning is the right thing to do and centers the needs of vulnerable
populations. Conversely, cities are financially exposed
when they are non-compliant, and it is worth noting again that
compliance, according to federal rule, refers to a
plan and a process for improvements.
When it comes to liability, it can be beneficial for governments to undertake a
transition plan on their own and make a good faith effort
to implementing it, as opposed to reacting to lawsuits, which often
come with significant settlement costs and external
control of the timeline for making improvements.
Finally, after many years of this work in safety,
mobility, and accessibility, we have learned some of these
benefits firsthand. First of all, gaining a comprehensive view
of the sidewalk assets can help agencies understand not only the
presence of sidewalk infrastructure, but its quality and
condition. Data that indicates both the presence and
condition of sidewalks helps agencies prioritize specific
locations as well as location types for improvements,
such as transit stops, areas near schools and parks which
generate pedestrian trips.
A proactive approach allows intentional, coordinated project
delivery so that needs related to traffic safety,
utilities, streetscapes, and other maintenance can be integrated into
project pipelines, saving time and money
and construction disruptions.
Proactive planning enhances legal protections, such as reduced
liability and less harsh mandates during
litigation. Transparency and good faith efforts can
protect against expensive processes that threaten the
benefits discussed today. Finally, we talked about the
shared benefits to all travelers who use public sidewalks.
Shared mobility goals for people who do not drive are equitable and increase
access to jobs, schools, and a higher quality of life for all of
Chicago.
I'll close with some remarks about the curb cut effect.
The curb cut effect refers to the beneficial impact of ADA improvements for
the greater population and refers to all types of accessibility
improvements. For example, curb cuts at sidewalk corners are
intended for people using wheelchairs, yet they make trips easier for
parents with strollers, delivery people rolling carts, and people wheeling
luggage. Closed captions are intended for people with a hearing
disability, but how many of us use them to enhance our
understanding of language on shows and movies that we enjoy?
When we make these accessibility improvements, they don't just benefit those with
disabilities, they benefit all of
us. Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Also noting Alders Lawson and Burnett with us for purposes of quorum.
Good to see you, gentlemen.
We will next hear from Ashley Eisenmenger.
Sorry. No.
Thank you.
Right straight. Right to me.
Chairs. On your
left.
All right. Thank you.
Good morning, everyone. My name is Ashley Eisenmenger.
I'm a blind Chicagoan, a new member of the 43rd Ward, and I'm here to
share some of my personal experience navigating city sidewalks
as context for why it's important to follow the ADA,
and for the city to fulfill the
longstanding requirements of the transition plan.
As a blind person, I navigate the city every day knowing that something as
basic as a broken sidewalk or
an inaccessible intersection can determine whether I can safely
reach my destination at all.
Broken sidewalks are not just a nuance, they are dangerous.
They can make entire parts of the city unreachable,
especially if you're traveling independently,
which is something that I do regularly. I'm a white cane user.
When sidewalks are inaccessible, public transit becomes inaccessible,
too.
I actually ran into that issue coming here today.
I've broken several canes walking on sidewalks, which has forced me to
completely abandon my route, leaving
my agenda for the day unable to be completed.
Let me state yet again, if sidewalks are not accessible,
transportation becomes inaccessible.
Outside of my professional life, I'm a competitive triathlete.
I swim in the lake, and I bike and run all over the city,
all while tethered to sighted guides.
If inaccessible sidewalks and crossings create barriers for
me, someone who's extremely active in all parts of the city,
imagine what they mean for people with other disabilities, especially for folks who
utilize wheelchairs, and people with more significant mobility limitations
than myself.
For many disabled people, these barriers carry an even greater
impact because we already have fewer
transportation options. I can't drive, for example.
No one wants me behind the wheel. So when a broken sidewalk or inaccessible
curb ramp cuts off one route, it cuts off access
in a much deeper way.
Making the city more accessible does not just help disabled folks, as was
mentioned earlier.Bad
sidewalks and curb ramps,
and inaccessible intersections limit travel for
folks who utilize strollers, who push carts, who might be moving
luggage.
On a positive note,
the installation of new audible pedestrian signaling throughout the city
have made a real meaningful difference for me.
It has meant that I can access parts of the city by myself that would have
previously felt unsafe for me to use.
Improvements like that show what is possible when accessibility
is treated as essential infrastructure.
I'm grateful to the city for putting these APS
systems in now. And while we've made significant strides,
some of these changes were only made because the city was required to do
so, and I hope that as we move forward, we're entering a new era
in which we can proactively plan to be as accessible as
possible. I shouldn't have to question if I'm able to get to a new
place because the sidewalks might limit my ability to
access needed transit.
These issues are important. They shape whether our city is truly
reachable, usable, and safe for all of us. Thank you so much.
Thank you very much. Moving on to questions, we have
Commissioner Rachel Arfa,
Senior Policy Analyst Esther Gutierrez, and Deputy Commissioner
Thomas Ciesielski present from the Mayor's Office for People with
Disabilities, and Assistant Commissioner Bill Higgins from the Chicago
Department of Transportation. If there are any
questions for them? Committee members, when you're speaking or
asking questions, if you could please introduce or identify
yourself before you begin.
You're here.
Want me help you with the--
Want me help you with the complete them?
Yeah, I think you can, um...
I think that's all.
I think put this here.
Yeah.
Mission.
With the clear.
He wants.
No, I think I should look here then, but it's a
different.
Say, I
don't
know.
Want me to sit here?
Right.
I might actually tee up two questions
to open.
Commissioner Arfa, I wanted to recognize that this is not
work that is happening in a vacuum, nor are we starting from
the one-yard line here, but that your office has actually
been making significant progress on the accessibility of
Chicago's public facilities. Essentially, the built
environment that people experience city services in.
I was wondering if you could share a little bit about that for the committee.
And
good morning, Chair Espada. Thank you so much, and great to
see the
members of the community today. Good morning.
And I'm joined here by my team and
CDOT as well. Before I jump in, I just wanted to
also honor the passing of Randy O'Neil, too.
I offer my deepest condolences to his family, and to the
CDOT family. It's always difficult,
and I appreciate what an advocate he was for the work that he did
here. So it is a loss for our city.
So, in terms of your question,
I suspect that maybe for some members of the committee, this might be the first
time you've heard the term ADA Title II Self-Evaluation or
Transition Plan. It's not exactly
rollicking conversation at the
event. But what it is, it is a crucial piece
of the overall work,
and we have been working toward this
through several things that actually you have heard me talk about
before. For example, when I've come to our budget hearings, I have talked
to you about our Access Officer program.
And we set this up about five
years ago, where we were
very intentionally thinking about how do we want other departments to work
together towards accessibility?
And we established the Access Officer program, which
named a member of each department,
at a leadership level, to
be their department point person on accessibility.
It convened each of these access officers routinely
around different types of accessibility.
That has been such an
important part of the work that we've done to move accessibility
forward. So it may not be something that you see or you're aware of, but it is an
important part of the work we do to invest in that awareness
around accessibility. In terms
of this plan, I know that we're hearing a lot today
about physical access,
which is so important, and I also want to talk about communication access.
You see there are some strides here.
We now have staff Sign Language interpreters, so anytime you see people
next to the mayor, you almost, almost always see a
Sign Language interpreter, and that's because through your help, we were able to
advocate for staff Sign Language interpreter position.
And that is part of the analysis here, which is
providing
around that goal of providing physical and communication
access through our
Public facing.
I think it's really important to note that when the ADA was first passed in
1990,
the world was not as accessible as it is today.
Today we have so many more-- we've made so many more strides toward
accessibility, including systemic ways that we continue to
uphold accessibility, including through our permit
or pre-permit review process. So any time a government-built
in housing project we're building comes through the
city, it comes through our accessibility compliance unit.
We review it, and we make sure that it follows
accessibility guidelines. That is another example of how Chicago really
leads the way in doing things that we've done through
systemic, long-standing ways,
through-- that's one of the ultimate goals here.
I'll stop there, but those are just some highlights.
So, what I will add that in 2008,
the ADA was amended, and that there were new regulations passed
in 2010, which changed those regulations and new
requirements,
which also honor the way that we continue to work
on our built environment and our communication
access. I'll stop there for now.
No, I really appreciate that.
I would ask,
Ms. Barrett, if you wouldn't mind coming forward for just one quick question,
because you referenced in your slides providing technical assistance,
freeing management penalties, developing Type 2 transition plans.
I was wondering if you could give an example of what we mean when we talk about the
technical assistance that sometimes is needed for plans like this.
The technical assistance work generally involves the
formation of a steering committee to oversee the development of a transition plan,
that includes members from the disability community, representatives from key
community organizations,
schools, transit advocates, folks on the ground who can
help us understand the community's lived experience when it comes
to accessibility.
And then we move on to public engagement with the
broader community, as well as the data collection process, which
includes
the physical condition of the sidewalk assets within the
public right of way,
which can be done in various forms.
We then work with the community to
fulfill the other title requirements, such as designating an ADA
coordinator, making sure that information's posted on the website in a coordinated
way. Those administrative efforts are generally a lighter
lift,
and relatively
easy to accomplish.
And then the question really comes into play of how to
prioritize improvement of
conditions that are non-compliant.
So how do we prioritize the locations and the programs and
the accessibility? And we use community input to do that.
We use the leadership from the steering committee to do that, to develop a
thoughtful, inclusive plan for how to address
non-compliance, and a timeline that's realistic and is
resourced at the level that it needs to be resourced.
Thank you very much. Do we have any other questions from committee members?
Alderman Martin.
Thank you, Chairman, and appreciate you bringing this
order before us.
One question I had was around
sidewalks. I don't know if this is a CDOT question, a CMAP question.
I'm thinking about our roads, and I think that we've got a pretty
good system with 311, where if you see an issue with a
pothole, especially a smaller one, you can put in a request and at
least in and around the 47th Ward, I think CDOT does a very strong
job of filling those quickly and
appropriately. I don't know that we have a similar process in
place for sidewalks, and I recognize that's not apples to apples,
but I know there can be a number of different conditions,
and maybe that's one of the reasons why it's not apples to apples.
You can have a crumbling sidewalk. You can have a hole in a sidewalk.
You can have a sidewalk that has a lip that's pushing up,
that might be related to a tree, which is its own complication.
But at bottom, I'm thinking about moving forward and incorporating some of
the best practices that we see from other cities.
Could we approach things in a different, more efficient way?
Because I think about two of the colleagues I'm sitting next to, Alderman Chico,
who has one of the largest wards in the city, and I recognize that some of it is
land that's not necessarily going to be developed, but I'm confident that the
miles of sidewalk in your ward are much
larger than Alderwoman Arena Hoppenworth, who has either the second
smallest or the smallest ward. And so at the end of the day, if a lot
of what our responsibility is is working collaboratively with CDOT as
aldermanic offices to figure out how we do sidewalk square
replacements, I think we're doing our level best with regard
to that, but maybe that's not the best approach.
Maybe we need to think about more of a 311-like approach,
where that helps drive which sidewalks get replaced
and when, as opposed to our menu funds, which of course might mean more
funds for CDOT to help achieve that.
But I'm curious if one or both of our panelists
here have some thoughts about what your respective
organizations are looking into and what you would advise City Council to have in
mind as this important plan is stood
up in the coming years.
I can speak to that. Bill Higgins, CDOT Assistant Commissioner.
As you know, we have 4,000 miles of streets in this city.
Lots of sidewalks, lots of curb ramps,
and to your point, it
is inconsistent in their condition across the city.
We can currently take requests over the phone
or the 311 system in general,
and we do track those, and we do follow up on those and send out
inspectors to look at the sidewalks and
determine if there's a path to repair.
SometimesThat path could be one of many things,
whether there's another project happening in the area, if there's utility work
happening in the area. Sometimes we approach the alderman and say, "This might be a
good candidate for menu."
So right now, one directive we've had from our
new commissioner, William Cheeks, is to
give a breakdown of all of our sidewalk processes,
streamline them all, and kind of align them between each other so we can
kind of get an idea of where we're at in
that regard. And from there-
Yeah
... make some decisions on further streamlining and further programs that can
assist.
Understood. Is there a general timeline that you're hoping to have that work
completed by?
It's imminently ongoing. That
was one of his first directives coming on board with CDOT, that he wanted
to see where things were at with that, and we have our staff
compiling those processes.
Given there's many different funding sources and different programs and
different groups that are actually doing the work, from in-house construction to
our NCI contractors to utilities and other
users of the public way,
it's taking some wrangling.
But we're getting there, and I expect that we'll have it very soon,
but I don't have a direct timeline.
Understood. Well, I would ask through the chair when that's ready-
Sure
... if there is a more public-facing, aldermanic appropriate
version of that, whether it is literally what you share with the commissioner or
some paired-down version. I'd welcome you sharing it with our committee around
that so we could take a look. Because I also think it's important for us to
share with our community, here are the various ways in which, and you just laid out
a number of them, where our sidewalks get fixed.
Yeah.
And if there are some ways in which there are improvements to those
processes, so we can tell folks, "If you see this, here's the best way to deal with
it. If you see this type of sidewalk obstruction, here's the best way to deal with
it." I think that we've done a good job working with CDOT of
identifying our arterials, our collector
streets, our side streets, and how we deal with those, and the conditions
that you all do a good job of flagging with us
at our CIP briefings annually.
Mm-hmm.
I think that there's some more good work to be done around sidewalks, and welcome
further conversation in that regard.
Sure.
Thank you, Chair.
I'll definitely get that through the Chair.
Thank you. Alderman Lawson?
Thank you, Chair, and thank you everyone.
I'm Bennett Lawson, out of the 44th ward, Wrigley Field, North Halsted, Belmont
Harbor, the Southport Corridor, for those who don't know.
And a lot of people with disabilities and older people who use our great transit
and sidewalk system. I was thinking,
an inch and a half lift on a sidewalk in front of a senior building is way
different than an inch and a half lift in front of a school even, right?
And the needs are different, and when we're looking at this, the number of people
who have mobility needs in an area really kind of dictates where we have to spend
some money, at least from my experience.
Because right now, I think almost all of this we're talking about comes out of our
individual menu money.
And Alderman Martin took the good sidewalk questions, but I think it is,
right? It's all complaint based. Sometimes it's often a tree.
Sometimes it moves fast, and by the time you're out there, you've got four inches,
and that's a real barrier to everyone.
Mm.
So I think a system going forward that has more routine
maintenance or more routine check-in or just a better system, like you were saying
too, an inventory or an analysis of what we have and those that are failing the
most. Because as someone who has a very small ward, it's very different when I
spend money than other wards that don't have as much traffic.
The other part of that was ADA ramps.
I feel like
they pop out a lot, and that there's not maybe a regular maintenance, unless we're
putting it all in ourselves, for those ramps.
Not so much on some of our arterial streets, but especially on side streets.
I got a couple bad ones around a school that we call in regularly.
But I feel like that... Is there a regular maintenance plan
for the sidewalk ramps specifically right now?
No. However, the materials that tend to pop out, we're no longer
using those.
Right.
And the newer ones don't do that as
quickly.
That
came from the first wave of ADA mandates that we upgrade all
the ADA ramps in the city, and we've
since improved our materials that we're using.
So what are we using now?
Can get to you through the Chair, I believe.
But it's a cast... It's kind of-
I believe it's a cast iron-
Oh
... plate within the concrete, yeah.
The plate on the concrete. Okay. Because I've got both.
I've got poured and I've got the plates. Okay.
And there's different plates, too,
because when they pop, they end up down the block sometimes.
Yeah. There's the composite plates that didn't work very well.
Okay.
I had a question about our audible signals, because I think right now, at least
maybe outside of downtown, the only way to do that is to pay for it off of menu,
unless... Correct me if I'm wrong on that.
And they're not cheap.
Well,
we have a program citywide. We're installing 70 this year,
110 next year, and ongoing for the next eight
years, up to 245 a year
by the end of that. So we're ramping up to do more audible signals
across the city.
That's great to hear.
Yeah.
Because we couldn't spend enough on menu fast enough to do any sort of
coverage. And maybe this comes to my next question, which is
about the money. What are we looking at realistically as far as the
transition? Is this a budget line item?
Is this something that is already taken care of?
And then for implementation, too, which maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves
before we have the plan.
But we know this all costs money. We usually do most of this with bond or federal
dollars.
Federal dollars don't seem to be as flush.
Yeah.
So do we have a ballpark or some ideas or timelines on what funding
requests will be?
I don't. I'll have to go to you through the chair.
Great.
Thank you, Commissioner Arfa, for your access officer program.
I think that's really important that every department have that eye when
they're looking at their own department, the issues
that they work on, the parts of the city that they serve. I think that means a lot.
I think that's it for my questions, Chair. And I appreciate this work.
It's really important to me. Like I said, it's important to my community, it's
important to my family.
And we got to keep people moving around. So thank you all very much.
Thank you, sir. All of your questions remind me of the three-and-a-half-year-old
public way inspector who lives in my house and
cannot stop talking about sidewalks.
Do we have any other questions from committee members?
Yes, Alderman Manahappenworth.
Thank you, Chair, and thank you for
acknowledging the loss of Riley O'Neill.
I'm very sorry for your loss, CDOT, and
this hearing could not come at a better time.
I want to thank the
speakers who are here and also
the speaker who
shared their story about their experience living in the city of
Chicago. I, as Alderman Martin mentioned,
represent the 48th Ward, but I was born in the 10th Ward, so I
understand the differences in the
size of what we're
talking about, each of us individually as alderpeople,
but how is it that we're doing the work across
the city is the question today. And this
resolution states that the transition plan must
include designation of the officials responsible for implementation
of the plan, an inventory of the barriers to access of the public way, a
schedule of when barriers will be eliminated, a description of the methods that
will be used to make facilities accessible, and opportunities for community members
and advocates to participate in the development of the transition plan.
And this is a
very important project. I
say that because
in the 48th Ward, even though we're very small, we do have
our issues with accessibility, and certainly when
Commissioner Arfa came to visit
on the lakefront,
we talked about the possibility of the lakefront in
the 48th Ward, but it shouldn't just be in the 48th Ward, to be one of the
most accessible places in Chicago for
people who want to enjoy
not just looking at the lake, but actually getting
across the beach, touching the water, and experiencing all
the things that are great about Chicago.
And I also think about
all the work that CDOT is doing
just in my ward around greenways and how
hard that was to do because of a lack of
public awareness about what it really means to share our public
spaces. And
it was just so hard. So I think about three things.
I think about what are we individually doing as
alderpeople with the many funds
that we have, and what are we doing with our communities?
And that conversation is ongoing and not always easy.
And then two, what are the policies that are already in place that are
requiring us to
make accessibility a priority with every project
that we do?
And also, what is
it that we are doing together as a culture to change our mindset,
which is that we live in a society which is very car-centric,
and it is
not only just drivers getting to and from work, it's our
city
trucks, for instance, our
firefighters who have to use our public way
to take care of people. That
was a big lift, actually, for us in the 48th Ward.
And those conversations are real because we don't want to
delay
access to people getting help when they need it,
and fire trucks getting through our streets.
I'm also thinking
about
CMAP. Thank you for being here. And I wonder as
we're
moving towards creating a plan, which incredibly
I'm kind of shocked that we don't have one, as someone who is
a
licensed physical therapist, also somebody who had hip
surgeries and had to use our sidewalks and get to and
from public transit, and also a mother who has
had to push their stroller, because I live in a very walkable
area, as we talked about. It's very small, so we can walk everywhere,
but a stroller or a shopping cart is very hard when sidewalks are
broken,
or if you have a disability.
I'm wondering,
because you are regional, if there is another city
that you have created this transition plan for and just curious
whether the top three things that you discovered
that could help us as we are moving into these
conversations, knowing that Chicago is very unique.
Chicago has a lakefront. Chicago has incredible transit.
Chicago, just in the 48th Ward, has so many schools.
So what is it? How do you prioritize
as you create this plan?
Okay. Yes.
Thank you. This is Victoria Barrett with CMAP.
We have completed a number of transition plans for
communities in the region. I recently, for example,
completed one for the City of Berwyn,
but there are many communities around the region that have also finished this work.
I'd say the three things that we have learned, the first one is
that the
transition plan may be created, but it is a living document and the
work is never done. You can forecast
the
implementation of compliance, but as you do that, of course,
other things will become non-compliant.
But understanding the benefits of good faith effort,
of having a plan in place, a process for grievances,
and a process and resources to implement is
really the crux of the work.
I also would say that the community has a lot of the answers when
it comes to understanding how to prioritize
interventions. There were a lot of very clear
directives from us to really focus on areas near
community destinations, such as schools and parks,
libraries, areas that provide healthcare services.
The community generally was full of consensus around the
issue of what should happen first.
And then really, the data collection process will
help inform the degree of non-compliance.
So, in other words, when you have all of the information in front
of you, it gives you the ability to
not only layer on your priority intervention areas, but
also your priority areas because of non-compliance.
So where is the heave at the
sidewalk or the missing ramp really a barrier to
access to important goods and services?
And when you layer on need and priority,
it really helps you with a clear community-supported
directive to do the work.
Yeah. Thank you for that.
You talked about destinations. All those things are destinations in the
City of Chicago,
and that's really one of the reasons why
the fourth graders who came into my office last week, they told me why they
loved living in the city, and one of them was that they loved walking,
biking, skateboarding to the beach.
And then I said, "What don't you like about living in this city?" They said,
"I wish that cars would slow down." So
I think that we should listen to the community, and I hope
that you also listen to our young people.
I know we talked about older adults, but also young people have the answers,
too. So thank you for being here.
Thank you, Alderwoman. Do we have any other questions from committee members?
With that said, may I have a motion to recommend
approval of this item,
SOR2026-0023422,
by the same roll call vote as was applied to determine quorum?
So moved.
Alderman Martin so moves. Hearing no objections, so ordered.
Thank you all so much.
Moving on to item three. On page one,
abrupt shift in topic. We will now have a subject matter
hearing on the closure of the 93rd Street pedest-- Well, not so
abrupt, on the
closure of the 93rd Street Pedestrian Bridge repairs and the
Carmen Avenue pedestrian walkway repairs pursuant to Municipal Code
Section 2-102-110.
We have Arsalan Khan, Assistant Chief Engineer with
CDOT, here to present.
Thank you. My name is Arsalan Khan, and I'll be presenting on the
93rd Street Bridge repairs.
Mr. Khan, if you wouldn't mind moving the mic just slightly closer.
Is that better?
There we are. Thank you.
Excellent.
Again, my name is Arsalan Khan. I am the Assistant Chief Engineer at
CDOT for Bridges.
And I'll be presenting on the 93rd Street Pedestrian Bridge repairs.
93rd Street,
we'll just go over some general items such as the location
map, information and scope, impact to the public, congestion mitigation
plan/detour, and the outreach plan.
This bridge is located over the Dan Ryan Expressway
at 93rd Street,
and
it crosses the Dan Ryan Expressway and the
CTA Red Line, and it runs between South Lafayette Avenue and South State
Street within the 9th Ward and adjacent to the 6th Ward.
This work would involve replacement of the existing concrete deck,
some ancillary repairs to the approach
ramps,
and some ADA ramp work on the adjacent sidewalks,
and the wire fencing on the bridge.
And we'll update the lighting system and clean and paint the existing
structural steel.
And this is just a picture of just the situation at the
sidewalks and the approach ramps,
and the deterioration in
thereSo,
to do this work,
the 93rd Street Ped Bridge will be closed continuously for approximately nine
months, and we'll start this work
late summer in 2026.
So for pedestrians,
the bridge will be continuously closed, and we'll have just a
detour for eastbound to go 93rd to Lafayette
to 91st to State and back to 93rd.
For westbound, 93rd, State, 91st, Lafayette,
and to 93rd, and I'll show that on the next slide as well.
For vehicular traffic impacts, there'll just be
a few night closures,
the lane closures on the Dan Ryan,
and that'll just be to install the protective shielding over the
freeway and for an encapsulation during cleaning
and painting of the structure.
There'll be some detours for the
on and off ramps.
So this is just a view of the pedestrian
detour for 93rd.
And our outreach plan, we've initiated coordination with
IDOT and CTA.
We've
started some outreach for the CPS schools in the project area,
and they'll be included in all updates to stakeholders,
and initial outreach has been sent to Ward 6, 8, 9, and 21.
Two weeks prior to the beginning of construction and the bridge closing,
notice will be provided to stakeholders and signs will be posted at the bridge to
inform the public of the upcoming closures and detours
that will be provided.
That's it for 93rd.
Do we have any questions from the committee members?
The work seems definitely more than justified.
Is it possible to get a map showing the
pedestrian detours?
Yes, we can provide that to
you or-
Thank you
... yeah, through the chair.
Yeah, that's be perfect.
Okay.
Thank you so much. And the Carmen Bridge.
Okay.
There it is.
Yeah.
Okay, the
Carmen Street Ped Bridge repairs.
And we'll just go over the project location map, information and
scope, impacts to the public and the project duration, our congestion
mitigation plan, and our outreach plan.
So this bridge is located at Carmen Avenue over
the North Branch of the Chicago River.
The pedestrian bridge runs between North Central Park Avenue and Eugene Field
Park and sits within the 39th Ward and directly adjacent to
the 33rd Ward,
and we'll be doing some repairs there.
The scope of work will be cleaning and painting of the portion of the
steel superstructure and damaged center nailer and lateral
bracing members, and replacing damaged portion of the bridge deck and forms.
This was due to a fire that
happened underneath the bridge.
You can see the distorted steel corrugated metal,
lateral bracing,
and
other parts of the superstructure.
Impact traffic to conduct the repairs.
Carmen Avenue Ped Bridge will be closed continuously for approximately two months,
starting in late summer.
The pedestrian traffic will be detoured along the following route.
Westbound will take West Carmen to North Central Park to West
Argyle, North Monticello, and to the pedestrian path at
Eugene Park. Eastbound, pedestrian path at Eugene Park
to North Monticello, to Argyle, to Central Park, to
Carmen Avenue, and I'll share that exhibit in the next
slide. And there will be no vehicular
impacts
for the duration of this project.
So this is just a picture showing the
pedestrian detour for this.
Our outreach plan.
Coordination will be ongoing with the ward throughout construction to minimize
impacts to pedestrian nearby residents.
Outreach has been done for CPS schools in the project area, and they'll be included
in all updates to shareholders.
Initial outreach has been sent to the 39th and 33rd Ward.
Two weeks prior to construction beginning and the bridge closing,
notice will be provided to stakeholders, and signage will be posted at
the bridge to inform the public of the upcoming closures and detours
that will be provided.
Thank you very much, Chief Engineer. Assistant Chief Engineer.
Hopefully, Chief Engineer sometime in the future, sir.
Do we have any
further questions from committee members?
Seeing none, thank you so much for the presentations here today.
Thank you.
We are now moving on to routine items.
Can I have a motion to recommend approval of all direct introduction ordinances
on pages two through four by the same roll call vote as was applied
to determine quorum? Alderman Lawson so moves.
Hearing no objection, so ordered.
Let us turn to pages five through 16 for the recommended portion of the
agenda. Can I have a motion to recommend approval of all
recommended items on pages five through 16 by the same roll
call vote as was applied to determine quorum?
So moved, Alderman Lawson. Hearing no objection, so ordered.
We will now turn to pages 16 through 21 for the no
recommendation portion of the agenda, which are items that received
no recommendation from city departments.
These ordinances were submitted as overrides, are on the agenda at the request of
the alderperson, or do not require departmental approval.
For item seven on page 20 and item one on page 21,
we've received substitute ordinances that make a change to the
language per CDOT's recommendation.
These substitutes were emailed and distributed today.
Can I have a motion to accept these substitute ordinances?
Alderman Burnett so moves. Hearing no objections, so
ordered. Items 10, 11, and 12 on page
17 and item two on page 20 will be held in committee.
Can I have a motion to recommend approval of all no recommendation items on pages
16 through 21, with the exceptions of items 10, 11, and
12 on page 17 and item two on page 20, and
including the previously accepted substitutes by the same roll call
vote as was applied to determine quorum?
Alderman Lawson so moves. Hearing no objection, so ordered.
We will report these items out at the next regularly scheduled City Council
meeting. With there being no further business before the committee, can I have a
motion to adjourn?
Alderman Lawson so moves. All those in favor signify by saying aye.
Aye. We are adjourned. Thank you all.
Hello