The City Is Building Another River Bridge So Cyclists And Joggers Don't Die In Traffic
By Rachel Cromidas in News on Sep 14, 2016 6:55PM
Rendering via CDOT
The city is planning to build a new bridge over the river on the far North Side to help out cyclists and joggers who have to cross a busy street to use the popular North Shore Channel Trail.
The riverfront trail runs along the North Side of the city and into the North Shore suburbs along the northern branch of the Chicago River. But right now trail users must exit the trail and cross the street on busy Lincoln Avenue to continue using it. The bridge would create one uninterrupted route for the first time after construction begins in early 2018. The bridge is expected to cost $3.4 million from a mix of federal, city and private funds, as Chicago Department of Transportation spokesman Mike Claffey told Chicagoist.
"It will serve pedestrians and cyclists traveling the North Channel Trail and will reduce the need for pedestrians and cyclists to use the high volume U.S. 41 [a.k.a. Lincoln Avenue]," Claffey said in a statement.
The department presented the plans for the bridge in a meeting with community members Tuesday night, along with a map of the plan:
Map via CDOT.
The new bridge is one of many ideas the city has for transforming Chicago's riverfronts. Besides finishing up a new downtown riverwalk this year (and broke ground on the next phase of the Riverwalk), the city has announced plans for a massive new neighborhood development on the southern riverfront, and an extension of the North Side's riverfront trail. That project will create a path along the river from Belmont to Montrose avenues to eventually connect with the North Channel Trail.
That, along with plans to build a "Riverview Bridge" underneath Addison Street where it meets the river near California Avenue, would transform the way cyclists navigate the Northwest Side. As anyone who's tried to cross the river at Addison, Belmont, Montrose, or Irving Park Road by bicycle knows, it can be a harrowing experience to share a lane with speeding cars while trying not to die. Taken together, these changes could make those trips easier and more scenic for joggers and cyclists, especially at a time when the city's bike safety is under scrutiny after several cyclist traffic fatalities.