Wrigleyville's streets are getting torn up just as the Cubs' season wound down early, with crews closing lanes and sidewalks around Wrigley Field for a $32.1 million security overhaul tied to the ballpark's return to the national spotlight. Construction on the crash-rated bollard project began October 12, with the Cubs, the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois splitting the bill, and it comes while the Cubs themselves are stuck watching the World Series from home after being swept out of the wild-card series by the San Diego Padres.
The project was required by Major League Baseball before the league would award the Cubs the 2027 All-Star Game, according to Bleed Cubbie Blue. The work includes anti-terrorism-rated removable bollards along Addison Street, Clark Street, Waveland Avenue and Sheffield Avenue, a widened Addison Street sidewalk, and the relocation of light poles and other utility infrastructure, as detailed by ABC7 Chicago. As for who's paying what, the numbers get murky: Fox 32 reported the state is providing $12 million, the city $10 million and the Cubs $8 million toward the package, while ABC7's reporting has the state at $12 million but the Cubs and the city each paying around $10 million. Either way, ABC7 notes that anything beyond those contributions, plus ongoing maintenance, falls on the Cubs.
Sidewalks and Streets Going Dark Through Spring
All four streets ringing the ballpark are seeing some form of restriction. Sheffield Avenue is closed to vehicular traffic between Addison and Waveland through early December, with its west sidewalk shut to pedestrians, per the same outlet's reporting. Waveland Avenue is closed to westbound traffic from Clark to Sheffield through early March, with its south sidewalk also closed to foot traffic during that stretch.
The Addison Street sidewalk's north side has been closed to pedestrians since October 22 and will stay that way through mid-January. Gallagher Way and the businesses surrounding it are expected to remain open throughout construction, the outlet reports. Commemorative brick pavers that once lined Waveland and Sheffield have already been pulled up to make room for the bollard work, according to Yahoo News.
A Push the Cubs Wanted Anyway
Cubs officials have framed the upgrades as a safety priority independent of any All-Star bid, saying the project is meant to enhance security for the team, fans and visitors alike, according to the Chicago Tribune. The team has also said the bollards should ultimately require fewer officers stationed around the ballpark, per CBS News Chicago. That station notes vehicle bollards have become common at public event spaces nationwide as a defense against vehicular attacks, citing incidents elsewhere — including a Bourbon Street pickup-truck attack that killed 14 people and a vehicle attack during a Liverpool trophy parade that injured more than two dozen — as the kind of threat the barriers are designed to blunt.
Wrigleyville Alderman Bennett Lawson has said the security plan could help the Cubs secure approval from MLB to host a future All-Star Game, and separately noted that the league had long pushed for these improvements during All-Star Game discussions, according to the Tribune's earlier reporting. Chicago officials have also pointed to the 2025 Atlanta All-Star Week, which reportedly drew 60,000 to 70,000 visitors and generated an economic impact exceeding $100 million, as a preview of what a Wrigley Field event could mean for the city.
Wrigley's Long Wait for the Spotlight
Wrigley Field hasn't hosted the All-Star Game since 1990, according to Bleed Cubbie Blue's earlier coverage. Atlanta most recently hosted the game in 2025, and San Francisco is set to host in 2028, ahead of Chicago's turn. The security construction is scheduled to stretch across the two off-seasons leading into the 2027 game, the ABC7 report states.
For now, Cubs fans driving or walking around the ballpark will simply have to navigate a construction zone that's set to persist through the winter and into spring, even as the team itself sits out this year's postseason entirely.
