Shortly after taking office at the tender age of 26, Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th) was approached by Logan Square Preservation, a nonprofit charged with preserving the historic architecture and culture of the burgeoning neighborhood.
With plans already in the works to resurface Milwaukee Avenue and an adjacent neighborhood square, why not seize the opportunity to transform the area for residents of Logan Square and Avondale? They told their new alderperson it would be a “missed opportunity” if all the city did was “throw down new asphalt, put up some new lights and call it a day.”
On Wednesday, Ramirez-Rosa joined Mayor Brandon Johnson to break ground on a $27 million project nine years in the making that will finally deliver on that vision.
It will keep Logan Square intact. Milwaukee Avenue will be reconstructed from Logan Square to Belmont, but will no longer “dissect” Logan Square. Instead, the square will be closed off to create “a true roundabout.” Kedzie Avenue will be re-routed.
A new public plaza known as “La Placita” will be created at Kedzie and Milwaukee to celebrate Latin American culture. Traffic safety will be dramatically improved by seizing space from cars and giving it to pedestrians and cyclists.
Transportation Commissioner Tom Carney hailed the long-awaited project for the “safer, more accessible and inviting corridor” it will create with “new and vibrant community public spaces.” The reconfiguration of Logan Square will deliver “a more cohesive and connected” public space surrounded by “protected off-street bicycle paths.”
Carney then ticked off the other benefits of a project expected to be complete by the summer of 2026:
“The creation of a ‘La Placita,’ a new plaza that will be located where we are standing today next to the Logan Square Blue Line station. Wider sidewalks and curb extensions to create more space for outdoor dining and local restaurants. Raised crosswalks and curb extensions and pedestrian refuge islands to enhance pedestrian safety and encourage safer driving speeds. Modernized traffic signals to improve traffic flow and safety as well as new streetlights and parkway trees.”
Ramirez-Rosa credited former Mayor Rahm Emanuel for giving him the green light to begin the multiyear design process, adding, “We didn’t agree on a lot. But we did agree on that.”
But it was Johnson who brought the project home, Ramirez-Rosa said.
Although the playing field will be tilted in favor of pedestrians and cyclists, Johnson said he’s confident the $27 million project will ultimately improve safety for “all road users,” calling it “a model for how the city of Chicago will continue to develop and modernize.”
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire & Chicago Sun-Times 2024. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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