Connecting Chicago to the Obama Presidential Center

When the Obama Presidential Center opens in Jackson Park on June 19, 2026, visitors will see a new civic destination on Chicago’s South Side. What may be less visible is the network of roadway, utility, pedestrian, bicycle, and park improvements that help connect the center to the surrounding community. 

GFT supported this work through its involvement in the Chicago Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Jackson Park Roadway Framework Project. As a subconsultant to Ardmore Roderick, GFT provided construction management support for the program.

The $120 million project included significant roadway work near the Obama Presidential Center site, including improvements along DuSable Lake Shore Drive and Stony Island Avenue, the closure of Cornell Drive, and modifications to Hayes Drive. The broader effort also included utility replacements, added park space, and improved pedestrian and bicycle connections to support access to both the Center and Jackson Park.

The roadway framework project helped reroute more than 29,000 vehicles per day around Jackson Park while improving circulation through one of Chicago’s most prominent public spaces. The work supports safer, more efficient movement for commuters, visitors, cyclists, pedestrians, and nearby residents. 

For GFT, the project reflects the importance of the infrastructure that surrounds major civic investments. A destination of this scale depends not only on the building itself, but also on the systems that help people reach it, move around it, and remain connected to the surrounding community. 

“Long before visitors arrive at a destination like this, the surrounding infrastructure has to work,” said Great Lakes Area Construction Lead Anthony Quigley. “Our role was focused on supporting the roadway, utility, and mobility improvements that help people move safely and efficiently around Jackson Park. It is meaningful work because it helps connect the community to a landmark civic asset.” 

The project also reflects GFT’s broader role in helping public agencies and delivery partners advance complex infrastructure programs that improve how communities move and connect. Around Jackson Park, that work is helping support a historic opening while strengthening long-term access to one of Chicago’s most important public spaces. 

As additional improvements in the Jackson Park area move forward, GFT continues to support infrastructure work that helps connect people, places, and opportunities across the communities it serves.