Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined Alderman Walter Burnett (27th Ward) and West Loop stakeholders to cut the ribbon on the first phase of the Fulton Market Streetscape, a community-inspired modernization of the corridor that is Chicago’s first wholesale market and now is an incubator for the City’s thriving tech economy. As the first phase of the project wraps up from Halsted Avenue to Carpenter Street, the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) announced it will launch work in the coming weeks on the second phase from Carpenter to Ogden Boulevard. The City Council designated the Fulton-Randolph Market District as a Chicago Landmark in July 2015. The streetscape plan was developed in cooperation with Alderman Burnett and community stakeholders, including the West Loop Community Organization (WLCO), and the Department of Planning and Development (DPD). The design is intended to make the neighborhood more pedestrian-friendly, while preserving its historic character and accentuating historic elements of the neighborhood’s architecture.  The streetscape improvements include the full reconstruction of the roadway and installation of new ADA ramps and a flex-street design that has no curbs on some blocks. Work on the second phase from Carpenter to Ogden is expected to be complete by the end of 2019. The total construction cost for both phases of the project is $20.3 million.