UPDATE (2/18/22)
CDOT Announces Site Preparation Work on Jackson Park Mobility Improvements Project to Start Next Week
The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) announced that site preparation work is scheduled to begin next week on the Jackson Park Mobility Improvements Project, a series of transportation improvements in Jackson Park that have been coordinated with the construction of the Obama Presidential Center (OPC).
Starting next week, weather permitting, motorists can expect daily off-peak lane closures for site preparation work on Stony Island Avenue, Hayes Drive and South DuSable Lake Shore Drive. This will continue through mid-March.
Starting in mid-March, reconstruction work will begin on Hayes Drive between Cornell Drive and Richards Drive. The public can expect parking restrictions, lane shifts and detours of pedestrian paths.
To keep informed about the coming construction work, traffic impacts, and job and contracting opportunities, the public can sign up to receive periodic updates at: www.jacksonparkimprovements.org.
Read the full CDOT Alert here.
UPDATE (11/23/21)
Community Meeting: Jackson Park Project Updates
On Monday, November 29, 2021 a virtual community meeting was held to share information about the state grant projects at Jackson Park. Projects include renovations to the Iowa Building, new baseball fields along Hayes Dr. and a new Dog Friendly Area (DFA).
- View the document presented at the meeting: Jackson Park OSLAD Projects Community Meeting Presentation
- Share your comments about these updates: Jackson Park Improvements Comment Form
UPDATE (10/25/21)
Annual Report on Implementation of the Section 106 Memorandum of Agreement - Jackson Park
A copy of the 2021 Annual Report is available on the City of Chicago's Department of Planning and Development (DPD) website and here in accordance with the MOA Section IV. For more information, visit DPD's new Obama Presidential Center (OPC) project page here.
UPDATE (8/25/21)
Gates at Wooded Island
Gates will be installed on the north and south bridges that provide access to the Wooded Island and the Japanese Garden at Jackson Park. The gates will help secure the area and protect these historic and valuable assets from off-hours activity. The gates will be installed on Thursday, August 26 & Friday, August 27. Once installed, the gates will be closed in line with existing park hours.
NOTE: During construction, lane closures will be set up, removed daily and adjusted as needed throughout the day. These lane closures will ALWAYS make available one lane in each direction for public use. Additional announcements regarding next steps will be forthcoming.
UPDATE (6/8/21)
Construction Status
Construction work has begun on the utility crossing at Stony Island Avenue between the eastbound and westbound Midway Plaisance Drives.
The northbound curb lane of Cornell Drive and the pedestrian sidewalk east of Cornell Drive is also closed to allow for the utility work.
UPDATE (5/24/21)
Construction Status
Construction work on eastbound Midway Plaisance Drive will continue this week for the contractor to complete roadway restoration at the location of the utility crossing.
The northbound curb lane of Cornell Drive is now closed in order to allow for the utility work. Additional lane closures have begun on Cornell Drive this week to allow for the utility crossing.
UPDATE (5/11/21)
Construction Status
Construction work on eastbound Midway Plaisance Drive will continue this week with utility work crossing all lanes of eastbound Midway Plaisance, just west of Stony Island Ave. Utility work is also anticipated to begin crossing Cornell Drive the week of May 17th.
UPDATE (4/27/21)
Construction Status
Construction work on eastbound Midway Plaisance Drive and Stony Island Avenue began this week. This is a moving operation with construction flaggers and rolling lane closures.
Upcoming Lane Closures
Midway Plaisance Drive (Eastbound) - Lane closures projected to begin today, and last for approximately one week.
Stony Island Avenue– Lane closures projected to begin on May 10, for approximately one and a half weeks.
UPDATE (3/16/21)
This spring, the Chicago Park District will begin utility relocation work and resume track and field work in Jackson Park. The utility work includes relocating an electrical line, a sewer line and a water line below-ground between Midway and Hayes.
The utility relocation work will occur alongside streets or sidewalks around the edges of the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) site, or south of the OPC site. The existing track and field on that site will remain available for use.
The Park District also has a partially-completed a new track and field project at the corner of Stony Island and Hayes. As the site has been sitting dormant since 2018, we need to review the current site condition and determine if remedial work is needed prior to completing the full scope of work.
The target start date for commencing both the utility work and the track and field work is April 1st, weather permitting. However, as early as Wednesday, March 17th, residents may see staff and contractors out on these sites so that they can assess the sites and prepare for the upcoming work.
Additional announcements regarding next steps will be forthcoming.