Oak Park will not break ground on its newest major streetscaping effort until at least early next month due to weather.
Construction on the “Renew The Avenue” Oak Park Avenue streetscaping project had been scheduled to begin Monday, Jan. 19, but freezing cold temperatures stopped the work from getting started this week. Project leaders announced Thursday morning that the work will not begin until at least Monday, Feb. 2 as polar vortex conditions are expected to set in across the region through the end of January.
In the meantime, Oak Park Avenue will remain open to all vehicle traffic and Street parking will be permitted on Oak Park Avenue from Lake to Ontario and Randolph to Pleasant until the closures go into effect on Monday, Feb. 2, according to project leaders.
The Oak Park Avenue project is set to redesign the streetscape by adding art installations, curb bump outs and other above ground improvements while overhauling the century-old water and sewer systems that run underneath Oak Park Avenue between Ontario Street and Randolph Street through the village’s Hemingway Business District.
The project is scheduled to be completed by Thanksgiving 2026.
The area is expected to see its coldest temperatures since 2019 during the incoming cold snap. Oak Park and River Forest High School, Oak Park Elementary District 97, the Chicago Public Schools and dozens of other area schools announced plans to close on Friday, Jan. 23.
