NEARING THE TRAIL- END
Construction for 18- mile lakefront project expected to be completed by end of the year
It’s the homestretch for construction of Chicago’s Lakefront Trail.
Construction work to create separate paths for cyclists and pedestrians on the Lakefront Trail — all 18 miles of it — is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Major portions of the trail on the North Side and the South Side already have been finished.
Even a large chunk of the Navy Pier flyover project, which has drawn criticism for taking longer to build than the Golden Gate Bridge, will be open by year’s end. The ramp leading to the bridge over the Chicago River should be open by then, according to Chicago Department of Transportation officials, though they won’t promise an exact date. Additional portions aren’t expected to open until at least next year.
Be prepared for some confusing detours this summer.
That’s “the nature of the beast,” says Linda Daly, deputy director of planning and construction for the Chicago Park District, the agency behind the Lakefront Trail project. “I think we’re making good progress. People are getting familiar with the changes even more compared to last summer. I am seeing the right people on the right trails.”
The aim of the work is to lessen the chances for collisions on one of the nation’s busiest trails, used by 100,000 people a day on summer weekends.
A $ 12 million gift from billionaire Ken Griffin will cover the cost of the trail-separation project north and south of the Navy Pier flyover.
Here’s where construction stands, starting at the north end of the trail at Ardmore Avenue in Edgewater to the south end at 71st Street in South Shore: