One woman who said she has lived in the area off and on for four years told the Tribune she had never seen such a cleaning. When the plans to clean under the viaducts became public Friday, mayoral spokesperson Ronnie Reese described the effort as “routine cleaning” typically done twice a year. The tent’s former resident had chosen to go to a shelter, a DFSS worker said.Įmails recently released by the city show plans to power wash the area were underway in October, but canceled because the mayor’s office didn’t approve the work.

A bulldozer operated by a Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation worker moves debris from the sidewalk of a homeless encampment under a viaduct near West Fulton Street and North Milwaukee Avenue in the West Loop on Dec.