Committee on Transportation and Public Way meeting, July 10, 2024
- When: Wed, Jul 10, 2024, 10:30 AM (Chicago time)
- Where: Room 201A, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 121 North LaSalle Street - Chicago, IL 60602
- Status: Scheduled & Published
- Committee: Committee on Transportation and Public Way
- Video: https://vimeo.com/981403719
- Transcript: full text (12,004 words, official captions)
Meeting notes
AI-written from the transcript. Speakers are inferred from cues in the recording, so treat names as estimates and check the video at the linked time.
The Committee on Transportation and Public Way started after a long delay and heard public comment mostly on the proposed extension of the CTA No. 9 Ashland bus to the Ravenswood Metra station, with transit advocates in support and several Ashland Avenue residents raising concerns about pavement condition, a five-ton weight limit sign and the public process. The CTA said CDOT found no structural pavement concerns on that stretch, the weight sign does not apply to buses, and the extension would start August 25 if approved; the chair said he would raise the street concerns with CDOT and urged that the work not be rushed, and the sponsoring alderperson said the start could be delayed if needed. The committee approved its Rule 45 report, a group of miscellaneous ordinances, the Ashland and Ravenswood bus route ordinance, a pedestrian bridge easement over East Erie Street for Northwestern Memorial, a time extension for a Prairie Shores right-of-way dedication, a right-of-way vacation tied to a 2017 city land sale agreement, and a street vacation for a new Chicago Park District park near the former Cabrini-Green site.
Topics: CTA bus service, Ashland bus extension, street conditions, public way easements, street vacations, transit connections, Lincoln Yards land swap, parks
Agenda items discussed
- 2:13:30 Rule 45 report for the June 5, 2024 meeting: passed
- 2:14:03 Fourteen miscellaneous ordinances and one amendment from several wards: passed
- 2:14:34 CTA bus route on portions of N. Ashland Avenue and N. Ravenswood Avenue (No. 9 Ashland extension) (O2024-0009810): passed
- 2:36:54 Pedestrian bridge easement over E. Erie Street for Northwestern Memorial Hospital (O2024-0009353): passed
- 2:43:47 Time extension for right-of-way dedication by Prairie Shores LLC (O2024-0010087): passed
- 2:46:44 Vacation of unnamed right-of-way near W. Marquette Road and S. Wentworth Avenue under a 2017 land sale agreement: passed
- 2:55:58 Chicago Park District vacation of portions of N. Frontier, W. Weed and N. Ogden for Park 598 (O2024-0009873): passed
Alderpersons who spoke
- Gregory I. Mitchell (chair): Said he would bring residents' concerns about Ashland's structural condition to CDOT, noting similar problems in his own ward. (2:09:10); Asked how many buses would run and whether CDOT considered the effect of that frequency on the street. (2:18:50); Requested CDOT and CTA criteria for bus route extensions and urged that the extension not be rushed, citing the need for bus pads at stops. (2:29:54)
- Scott Waguespack (alderperson): Asked whether CTA has similar extensions planned on the South and West sides and whether it coordinates with Metra and Pace leadership. (2:23:18); Asked what legal issues the city reviews before granting a bridge over the public way. (2:39:36); Asked how the vacation relates to the Lincoln Yards land swap and said the timelines for the developer's obligations should be closely watched. (2:53:06)
- Andre Vasquez Jr. (alderperson): Said he hoped the route would eventually reach the Peterson/Ridge Metra station, asked for CTA contacts, and supported the extension, noting upcoming resurfacing of Ashland and other streets. (2:25:03); Supported the Northwestern Memorial pedestrian bridge. (2:39:25)
- Michael D. Rodriguez (alderperson): Asked CTA to consider a 47th Street bus extension near Cicero Avenue serving senior housing. (2:27:07); Asked how riders at stops on the discontinued turnaround segment would be served, and supported the extension while asking that residents' concerns be addressed. (2:27:47)
- Matthew J. Martin (alderperson): Said he would share CDOT's written answers to residents' questions and would delay the start if structural concerns need to be addressed, while asking for the committee's support. (2:34:12)
Exchanges between members
- 2:27:07 Rodriguez thanked Waguespack for raising bus extensions on the South and West sides.
- 2:25:14 Vasquez commended Martin's partnership with CTA on the extension.
- 2:34:12 Martin thanked Mitchell for committing to work with him on residents' concerns.
- 2:55:26 Waguespack said he was glad Mitchell was looking closely at the land sale obligations.