Green Alley Construction Underway in 49th Ward

New green alley construction is underway in the 49th Ward, paid for by the Chicago Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) Green Alley Program to improve stormwater management and alley conditions for residents.  

Green alleys are reconstructed alleys designed with permeable pavement, reflective surfaces and recycled materials to manage stormwater, prevent residential flooding, reduce the urban heat island effect and promote recycling, Alderwoman Maria Hadden (49th) wrote in a Facebook post June 30. 

Chicago’s Green Alley Program first piloted in 2001 and has since installed over 400 green alleys across the city’s 50 wards, according to the city’s website. 

The alleyway, bordered by West Greenleaf, West Lunt, North Greenview and North Glenwood Avenues, was selected by Hadden’s office in June for its poor condition and flood-prone infrastructure. 

Construction began Sept. 15 and is expected to take six weeks, according to Hadden’s Sept. 8 Facebook post.   

CDOT allocates funds to each ward through the Green Alley Program for just one green alley project per year, selected by a ward’s alderperson, according to the City of Chicago. 

Infrastructure and Communications Coordinator for the 49th Ward Zach Joseph said many constituents submitted their alleys to Hadden’s office for consideration, but due to CDOT’s funding, only one could be chosen.  

“The whole point of this program is for every alley to be a green alley,” Joseph said. “What usually prevents us is funding.” 

Joseph said each green alley costs between $250,000 to $500,000, and with each ward’s “menu” budget – annual funds allocated to each alderperson for infrastructure projects – set at $1.5 million per year, additional green alley construction is difficult. With projects costing up to one-third of a ward’s annual budget, each ward is able to complete about one project per year with CDOT’s allocated funding. 

“We would love to put our menu budget towards more green alleys, but we also want to put it towards other things that are really crucial for our ward, like street maintenance and other infrastructure projects,” Joseph said. 

With South and West Side neighborhoods facing particularly steep alley deterioration and flooding, CDOT’s current rate of one alley per ward per year skews green alley construction in favor of north and northwest neighborhoods, according to Block Club Chicago.

Fourth-year environmental science major Anna Ries-Roncalli said she thought CDOT’s funding could be distributed more equitably. 

“I think more funding should be allotted to solving alley issues in disproportionately impacted neighborhoods, like the South and West sides, as long as that funding isn’t being taken away from other urgent infrastructure issues in the city,” she said. 

During times of construction, residents’ access to garages and driveways are temporarily restricted and garbage pickup is temporarily closed. CDOT notifies residents of construction through flyers as soon as their alleyway is selected, Joseph said. 

Damien Nunes, a Loyola student who lives near an alley currently under construction, said he thinks the noise that results from the project is worth the outcome. 

“I had already attributed construction noise around me to the normal hustle and bustle of the city, so knowing it’s for something special that should yield noticeable impacts is great,” Nunes said. “I’m usually just assuming the noise is repaving or maintenance.” 

Fourth-year environmental science major Sam Wilson said there is a larger problem with the city’s combined sewer and stormwater system. 

“I feel like six weeks of construction is a manageable tradeoff to addressing home flooding, but the flooding is a symptom of a larger infrastructure issue that more funding should be allotted to in the first place,” Wilson said. 

Though green alleys aren’t the solution to alleyways’ disconnection to the city sewer system, they help sustainably address stormwater management by absorbing and redirecting water from alleys while providing better alley conditions for residents, according to the Green Alley Handbook.  

“The Green Alley program is just one of the ways that the City of Chicago is working to protect the environment and improve quality of life in our communities,” said former Chicago Mayor Richard M Daley in the Green Alley Handbook. “Working together, we can conserve Chicago and build a sustainable city for generations to come.”