A project to rebuild the Western Avenue bridge over the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal has been delayed for almost a year as the Chicago City Council considers expanding the tax-increment financing (TIF) district for Pilsen: a source of funding for the project.
“The TIF was proposed for expansion and was denied, so now the funds are technically frozen,” said 12th Ward Alderwoman Julia Ramirez.
The city is “hoping to get [the bridge reconstruction] back up and running,” Ramirez said. “There are some formal procedures we have to pass through city council.”
Pilsen TIF Expansion
The proposed expansion of the Pilsen TIF would add 685 acres to the existing 907-acre district, an amendment proposed by the Chicago Department of Planning and Development and supported by 25th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez.
However, the proposed TIF expansion has also received significant public opposition from some residents and community groups, and a poll conducted by the 25th Ward showed about 80 percent of respondents voting against the expansion.
Eighteen-Month Project
Reconstruction was set to begin on the Western Boulevard section of the bridge in late fall 2024.
As previously reported here in the McKinley Park News, the entire project was planned to be completed in three, six-month phases alongside paving and other safety improvements for South Western avenue and boulevard.
The process to amend the Pilsen TIF should take about four to six months, Ramirez said.
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