As leaders of our city’s infrastructure departments, we have 50-plus years combined in city service, and we are squarely focused on maintaining the systems and services that are critical to our residents’ ability to live and thrive. Chicagoans simply cannot go without clean, safe drinking water or reliable, maintained roads.
There have been calls to lower the pending $830 million bond amount or to delay the bond issuance altogether, without an understanding of how this would negatively impact the residents of Chicago.
A significant portion of the funds will go toward critical infrastructure projects that keep Chicago moving safely and efficiently. Chicago is served by one of the largest and most complex transportation networks in the country, with more than 4,100 miles of streets, over 300 bridges and viaducts, 7,400 miles of sidewalks, over 300,000 street lights, and nearly 3,000 signalized intersections. This bond funding is critical to ensuring that the Chicago Department of Transportation can continue to maintain these vital assets.
The funding will support CDOT’s work to resurface more than 150 miles of streets each year, extending the lifespan of our roadways on both high-traffic arterial roads and residential streets. It will also provide essential resources to enhance traffic safety, dedicating funds for pedestrian safety improvements, with a focus on areas near schools, parks, high-crash corridors, and 100 bus stop accessibility improvements. This will help ensure safety and convenience regardless of age, ability or mode of transportation.
A $15 million investment will modernize our traffic signal system by funding projects that improve signal communication and connectivity, replace outdated signals and install battery backups. These investments will reduce congestion and improve road safety for all Chicagoans. Additionally, a $63 million investment in street lighting will replace hazardous poles and install new fixtures along more than 150 blocks, significantly boosting visibility and overall safety.
Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Department of Water Management continue to be committed to replacing lead service lines throughout the city, especially among vulnerable and disinvested communities. The mayor inherited a city with more lead service lines than any other, with about 400,000 two-flat and single-family homes built before 1986 that have lead water service lines.
Out of a commitment to equity and ensuring that those who are least able to afford lead service line replacement work can receive these upgrades, the city has been working for years to identify and secure funding for line replacements. The water department needs the $100.3 million allocated by this bond to perform water and sewer main upgrades, as well as lead service line replacements to continue delivering fresh, clean drinking water.
Finally, bond funding will support the purchase of new city fleet and equipment and renovations of city buildings through the Department of Fleet and Facility Management: $64.9 million will go toward replacing vehicles that are outdated, including police, fire and streets and sanitation vehicles. Roughly $70 million will go toward renovations at city-operated spaces that are critical to public safety operations.
The reality is that we will face negative consequences if we ignore these projects or kick the can down the road. A pothole on the road that we cannot repair expeditiously will only grow, making it more expensive to repair.
Investing in infrastructure, clean water, and roads is an investment in public safety, which is a top priority for everyone in our city. It is not a question of if we invest in these projects, but when. The time is now. We wholeheartedly urge the City Council to pass this bond ordinance so that, together, we can continue working to revitalize all of our neighborhoods.
Tom Carney is commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation; Randy Conner is commissioner of the Department of Water Management, and Julie Hernandez-Tomlin is commissioner of the Department of Fleet and Facility Management.
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