LAKEVIEW — A water main replacement project on Ashland Avenue in Lakeview means drivers need to use detours and park elsewhere during construction. 

Construction began Thursday on the west side of Ashland Avenue between Addison and Belmont avenues. The work aims to be completed by December, said Josh Mark, the 47th Ward’s director of development and infrastructure.

“One crew is starting from Addison moving south and another is working from Belmont north. A third crew should be added to the project shortly. Both crews are currently sawcutting concrete and doing test pits to determine utility depths,” Mark said.

Crews will work extended hours on weekdays, 7 a.m.-7 p.m., and don’t currently expect working on weekends, though that may be warranted later on. However, neighbors can still park on Ashland in the evenings and on weekends when crews aren’t present as long as they are out of the way by 7 a.m. on weekdays, he said.

Parking is restricted on Ashland during construction and will remain closed to southbound traffic throughout the project. CTA buses will be rerouted to Damen Avenue. 

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Because construction may impact the western parkway on Ashland, 47th Ward leaders are encouraging neighbors to remove any landscaping there to avoid it getting damaged by construction equipment.

The project will also cause water shutoffs when a building’s service is transferred to the new water main. 

“Given the age of the existing mains — installed in 1893 and 1913— it is very likely that breaks in the mains lead to emergency temporary shutoffs as well. We will do our best to send out notice in those cases,” Mark said.

Neighbors may also need to perform an “intensive flushing” of their water system after a water shutoff, he said.

To watch a presentation about the work replacing the Ashland water main click here.

For more information on upcoming road construction, visit the Chicago Department of Transportation’s interactive map at chistreetwork.chicago.gov. 

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