WPA STREETS CHICAGO PBC/CDOT

In the 1930s, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built streets in Chicago to help relieve the economic stresses of the Great Depression. Today, Chicago still has approximately 518 WPA streets. These streets were built without sidewalks, curbs and gutters, and lack adequate drainage resulting in frequent flooding. The Chicago Works Program will allocate $51.3 million to reconstruct 40 blocks of WPA street in 2023 and 2024, putting the City on pace to replace all WPA streets with fully functioning streets over the next 25 years. WPA streets will be prioritized using the Pavement Condition Index along with aldermanic consultation.