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Rehabilitation Institute Foundation Work to 'Increase Noise' for Six Weeks

 Construction on the new facility begins Friday.
Construction on the new facility begins Friday.
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DNAinfo/Lizzie Schiffman

STREETERVILLE — The neighborhood surrounding the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago's new building is about to get a whole lot noisier.

The site at 355 E. Erie St. will enter the next phase of construction Friday when crews start six weeks of deep foundation work to build the new facility, which has been named the Ability Institute.

"We are working to minimize the impact including doing whatever is feasible during daytime hours, however, and in accord with City Code, some work will be required in the evenings," RIC community liaison Melissa Hoffman said in an email Tuesday. "In addition, weekend work will continue during much of this stage, although if Sunday construction hours are needed, an email alert will be sent out no later than Friday whenever possible."

In a series of community meetings before crews broke ground July 1, developers assured community members that construction hours will be limited and trucks will be based off-site to reduce noise and light pollution during off-hours.

"We'll do our darndest to make this as pleasant as we possibly can," Bob Gallo, Power's senior vice president, at a recent community meeting.

Also this week, the Chicago Department of Water Management is doing maintenance work on a water main on Erie Street between Fairbanks and McClurg courts. The work will require street closures, and could bring heavy traffic to the neighborhood when the two projects overlap Friday.

For the remainder of 2013, Power Construction will erect the building's substructure, which includes "mostly foundation work," Gallo said in June.

Barricades surrounding the site should be removed "in time for the 2015 holiday season," he said.

The institute, named the top rehab hospital in the country by U.S. News and World Report for more than 20 years, gained additional media attention recently for treating U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) after he suffered a stroke in January 2012.