As the City of Chicago and State of Illinois have enacted measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), Division of Infrastructure Management (DIM) reminds its stakeholders—including utility providers, construction companies, locators, and project managers—that public way management is an essential function. As such, DIM intends to operate its core work groups—OUC, Permitting, 811 Chicago, and Public Way Enforcement—in accordance with measures proposed by public health officials. To ensure that work in the public right of way proceeds in an effective, efficient, and safe manner, DIM will continue to require companies planning to excavate in the public right of way to obtain a permit and a dig ticket from CDOT prior to starting work. However, to accommodate COVID-19 mitigation measures, DIM asks users to adhere to the following procedures.

Public Way Permits

• Until further notice, all permit applications should be submitted electronically through Permits.
• Public way stakeholders should only apply for a permit when they are ready to work. While this has always been the expectation, DIM ask that permit requestors understand that some public way stakeholders may have diminished workforces due to COVID-19.
• Only those subcontractors who will actually work at a site should be added to a permit. For example, do not add multiple subcontractors who perform the same work to the permit. Again, this has always been the expectation, but is particularly important now.
• Work which may impact health care facilities (e.g., lane closures, potential for utility service disruption to the facility, etc.) will only be permitted in the case of emergency repairs.

By adhering to the guidelines above, companies working in the public way should be able to continue their work without overly taxing the resources of other public way stakeholders. CDOT will notify stakeholders if its services are further affected by COVID-19.