65 ILCS 20/21-46

The city of Chicago shall have authority to order the removal of any street car tracks upon the streets or other public ways or public places within control of the city of Chicago maintained without lawful authority; to order the removal of any such tracks that are obsolete or unnecessary; to order changes in the grade and in the location of any such tracks; and to order the paving of the areas inside of or adjacent to any such tracks; and if any public utility maintaining such tracks shall fail to remove, change, or relocate the same, or shall fail to pave any area as ordered within such reasonable time as may be fixed in any order of the city, the city shall be authorized to do such work and recover the cost thereof from the public utility by any appropriate action.