Footbridge To North Avenue Beach Is Closed For 3 Months For Repairs
By Mike Ewing in News on Apr 12, 2016 9:03PM
Many cyclists, runners, and sunbathers bound for the lakefront near North Avenue will need to find a new way past Lake Shore Drive after the city closed a popular pedestrian bridge Monday. Originally built in 1940, the 187-foot bridge will remain closed until June 30 while crews remove and replace its deck and support beams, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation.
The overpass is the fourth most popular way to get to the lakefront, and over 8,000 people use it daily on weekends, according to the Active Transportation Alliance. Work will be done mostly overnight, and starting April 18 traffic on North Lake Shore Drive will be reduced to two lanes, one direction at a time, between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.
Pedestrians can still reach North Avenue beach and the lakefront through the underpass near LaSalle Street about a block south of the bridge.