Neighbors frustrated over removal of long-standing staircase at River North bridge

When a heavily used public staircase disappeared earlier this month, some River North neighbors took to social media asking why they weren't informed about its removal and whether there will be a replacement.

The afternoon commute brings a lot of foot traffic to the corner of River North, but some residents say they're left hanging after the sudden removal of a long-standing public staircase.

"I was walking to the stairs and oh, they're just ... there's just no stairs there," said Jack Sundstrom, who works nearby.

A new concrete patch on Wabash and heavy rust stains on Hubbard below are the only signs of the staircase that once stood there. Still visible on Google Maps, but even in August 2021 there were signs of potential safety issues — barriers and orange netting on the side.

The 42nd Ward alderman's office said they would try to track down how long the safety complaints had been going on, but pointed up to recent newsletters from Alderman Brendan Reilly, where he wrote to residents he'd reported the rusted stairwell to the Chicago Department of Transportation for safety concerns. 

Even after CDOT closed it off, he says people went around the barriers. That's when they started deconstruction, a process posted on social media, along with videos of the more permanent blockage and pleas for the staircase to return.

The alderman's office says they are working on a replacement. They will first open this up to an e-bid process, then they hope to have work starting here by the spring.

"It looks like almost a permanent thing because the concrete that was being set up, but if it's coming back in the spring, that would be great," said Jack Buddenhagen, who lives nearby.

There is a second set of stairs on the diagonal end of this bridge, but some neighbors say they wish there was more notice before the staircase's removal, while others point out that public construction projects can often lag behind completion deadlines.