With the 2021 paving season getting underway, the City launched the Chicago Works jobs and infrastructure plan. The event kicked off the first year of the five-year multi-billion-dollar Chicago Works Capital Plan.  The 2021 first installment will include over $600 million of infrastructure modernization projects to enhance the quality of life for all Chicago residents in all 77 communities. The plan relies on data to select and prioritize investments across the full array of public assets, addressing the worse first, along with an emphasis on equity and safety in order to create jobs and spur the City’s recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic while addressing decades-long backlog of infrastructure needs. The Chicago Works plan is comprehensive and designed to address every type of public infrastructure. Highlights of the first 2 years of funding include:  

Aldermanic Menu Program: $216 million over two years that includes increasing the yearly menu budget, per ward, from $1.32 million to $1.5 million.  

Bridges and Viaducts: $164.3 million to complete the funding for 23 bridge replacement projects, $66.2 million for 37 bridge repair projects, $16.9 million to rehabilitate 13 underpasses; and $7.5 million to begin the process of improving vertical clearance at 5 viaducts.  

Streets and Alleys: $250.4 million for residential and arterial street resurfacing based on the Pavement Condition Index and ADA Ramp needs. Also funds the reconstruction of WPA streets along with 100 new Green Alleys to improve drainage and sustainability; one green alley in each ward every year.   

To learn more about the Chicago Works program, including latest updates and employment and training opportunities, check out www.chicago.gov/ChicagoWorks.