Logan Square's Traffic Circle Redesign Is Done. Here's Everything That Changed.

After roughly a decade of advocacy, planning, and construction, Logan Square's traffic circle around the Illinois Centennial Monument reopened this summer in its final form. The $27 million project, funded through a combination of federal grants and tax increment financing, is one of the largest public investments the neighborhood has seen in a generation, and it touches everything from how people drive through the square to where the farmers market sets up on Sunday mornings.

Here is what actually changed, in plain terms.

A Decade in the Making

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th Ward) began pushing for a redesign of the circle in 2015, and planning work started in earnest in 2017. Construction broke ground in May 2024. The new two-way traffic pattern opened in November 2025, and the finished project, including the plaza and landscaping, debuted in June 2026.

At the ribbon cutting, Mayor Brandon Johnson called the project "a model for how the city of Chicago will continue to develop and modernize." Ramirez-Rosa, who championed the redesign from the start, said, "We have an opportunity to beautify our neighborhood and transform this community for generations to come."

What's Different Around the Monument

Milwaukee Avenue now routes around the square as a circle rather than cutting straight through it, and Kedzie Boulevard was shifted northeast of the Blue Line station with a new signal where it meets Milwaukee. Early plans called for one-way traffic around the circle, but engineers ultimately built it as two-way after traffic modeling showed that pattern moved cars more efficiently, particularly on the west side of the square.

The rest of the project includes:

• Off-street and protected bike lanes, along with bike-specific traffic signals, which are still rare outside downtown Chicago
• Raised crosswalks, new pedestrian refuge islands, and accessible signal buttons at crossings around the circle
• Curb extensions and wider sidewalks along the square
• New streetlights and additional street trees and landscaping
• La Placita, a new plaza built on the former Kedzie roadway, designed with Latin American heritage motifs that reflect the neighborhood's history
• A dedicated plaza space built to host the Logan Square Farmers Market

How It's Landing With Neighbors

Reaction has been largely positive, with room for honesty about what still needs work. Drivers and pedestrians have told Block Club Chicago the circle is far less confusing to navigate than the old layout. One walker put it simply: "As a walker, I love all the new crossings. It's much easier to get around."

Cyclists have flagged real gaps. Riders heading north on Kedzie who want to continue east on Logan Boulevard now have to cross four streets to reach an off-street bike path that covers less than 300 feet, which pushes some people onto the sidewalk instead. A direct crosswalk that used to connect the monument to Lula Cafe was also removed, replaced by a route that requires two crossings around a traffic island. Some residents have also pointed to a small loss of green space near the Paseo Prairie Community Garden and early growing pains around signage and snow clearing on the new sidewalks.

None of that undoes the larger shift. The square went from a layout locals nicknamed "running with the bulls" for its confusing, high-speed merges to a place designed around people first.

What It Means Going Forward

CDOT has said a canopy for the CTA station and a shade gazebo for the plaza are still planned, though no timeline has been announced. In the meantime, the square is already doing what it was designed to do: hosting the farmers market, anchoring the return of the Logan Square Arts Fest, and giving nearby businesses a real plaza to draw foot traffic from. We'll cover both of those in more detail in upcoming posts.