Michigan Avenue Streetscape Project

The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) has completed a $ 10.1 million streetscape improvement project that renovated Michigan Avenue from Roosevelt Road to 24th Place with infrastructure upgrades and decorative elements.

Improvements include new sidewalk with ADA ramps, new curb and gutter, street resurfacing, decorative lighting, 122 new trees with tree grates, 31 pairs of hanging baskets, informational kiosks, community identifiers, landscaped planters with automatic irrigation systems and a new traffic signal at the intersection of Michigan Avenue and 13th Street.

The beautification project also included improvements to the Motor Row district. The Motor Row district, which originated almost a century ago, was once home to more than 116 different makes of automobiles including, Buick, Fiat, Premier, Pierce-Arrow, Hudson, Marmon, Cadillac and Ford. Between 1906 and the mid-1930s, vehicles made by those manufacturers and many others were housed in elaborate, almost palace-like showrooms in Chicago’s Motor Row, many of which remain today.

Throughout construction, Michigan Avenue remained open to traffic and access to businesses and residences was maintained.