A Bike-Friendly Bridge Over North Shore Channel Trail Finally Is Happening

WEST RIDGE — The North Shore Channel Trail, which runs from Lincoln Square to Evanston, has always had a problem — the North Shore Channel.

A significant portion of the trail runs along the west side of the channel, with the remainder on the east. Separated by the waterway, east is forced to meet west via a hazardous, makeshift connection that sends trail users onto a heavily trafficked portion of Lincoln Avenue.

Residents have long called for a pedestrian/bike bridge over the channel, and the Chicago Department of Transportation is about to make that wish a reality.

At a recent community meeting hosted by the 50th Ward, CDOT presented a plan for the "Lincoln Village Pedestrian Bicycle Bridge."

Preliminary engineering and design work has been completed on the proposed 16-foot-wide, 180-foot-long bridge. According to the project schedule provided by CDOT, construction on the span is expected to begin in winter 2018.

For the full article go here: https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160922/west-ridge/bike-friendly-b...

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Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on September 23, 2016 at 5:48am

Thanks for posting that Gene. That will be nice. I sometimes ride home via Elston, California, and the North Shore Channel Trail. After Lincoln, I currently finish my commute on Kedzie, Pratt, and California/Dodge. It would be nice to continue a bit further on a dedicated non-bike trail. I have made that loop-de-loop over the Lincoln Avenue bridge. It's not horrendous, but then I'm not riding with a young child. And it's not terribly fun to pass another bike headed the opposite direction while you're on the bridge/sidewalk.