Lake front path construction

I can't tell you why I was their. 
But what I can tell you is this. 
One of your fellow chainlinkers is making sure this gets done right. 
The company I work for has been involved in this since the summer. 
Things look real good. 
And now some pics from the site ;) 

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Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on November 20, 2015 at 3:18pm
I was through there a few weeks ago. I couldn't figure out how they are going to squeeze it through the existing structures south of where the supports currently end (just south of Lake Point Towers).
Permalink Reply by XndeX on November 20, 2015 at 4:17pm

they are creating a nice fly over bridge. 
This is at lake point tower (Illinois is the cross street I believe ) 
Next block north you can see supports in the middle of the intersection that will continue the flyover. 

Permalink Reply by Elwood Gruschow on November 24, 2015 at 7:22pm

 Taken about October 19, 2015 looking down on the fly-overs main support tube from Lake Point Tower, yes it is going to be quite a fit.

Permalink Reply by mweerd on November 24, 2015 at 4:11pm

So I've got to wonder what's taking so long... sorry... but I've been riding through there for months and it doesn't ever look like anyone's there...

Permalink Reply by XndeX on November 25, 2015 at 4:02am

Steel just doesn't magically appear ;) 
Also they have to make sure the welds are of high quality and will support the intended load ;) 

Permalink Reply by yaj 7.4 on November 25, 2015 at 4:08am

Thanks for sharing!  

Permalink Reply by Bob Kastigar on November 25, 2015 at 8:25am

Chicago is flat - we're building a HILL here to make it easier?

Instead of a $40M bridge, a much cheaper $3M alternative was proposed:

http://gridchicago.com/2012/navy-pier-flyover-is-it-worth-45-millio...

Less money, no mountain to climb.

Permalink Reply by Sebastian Baptiste on November 28, 2015 at 3:54am

That would have been smart. A cop once told me literally "Chicago does not deal in smart".

It looks it is going to be two hills. South of LP Tower it dips down, it'll have to go up again to cross the river. Steven Vance' counter-proposal was a lot easier to construct, but all kind of bogus objections were made, most tellingly the crossing at Illinois, as if it would have been impossible to make a better situation there. Regarding your last comment: If any car free cyclists were actively involved in the development and design of this thing, I'm sure they were young and free of knee and other problems. And yes, those $37M could have been spent on e.g. fixing/upgrading the rest of the LFP, or the majority of Chicago's bike lanes, which are presently of quality that would be deemed unacceptable anywhere else (as in roadways for cars...).

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on November 29, 2015 at 10:49am

"Car welfare", I like that. Is that at all similar to corporate welfare?

As far the hill problem goes, the best way to stop a man climbing a bad hill is for a good person to oppose him from the other side of the hill.

Oops, I can hear the orderlies coming down the hallway now. I better log off the nursing station computer and get back to my padded room.

Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on November 30, 2015 at 5:48am

I am guessing not many people here remember what a disaster the LFT used to be where we were all shoehorned into the parking lot/sidewalk behind the North Avenue boat house.

The status quo situation at Navy Pier/Grand Avenue is much, much worse.  I have seen more accidents at/between Illinois and Grand than along the rest of the LFT combined, and often very severe ones thanks to the poor visibility from all angles.

The flyover is actually a case of Chicago being very smart.

Navy Pier is a tourist magnet monster of revenue generation. It is the single largest attractor in the state of Illinois at approx 9 million visitors a year (for reasons most of us will never fathom), so separating out the Lakefront commuter and recreational traffic is good for everyone.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/03/03/the-top-50-tourist-destinati...

As for the ideas of what the project's cost could be used for, it's intriguing that so many people assume said funds would be redistributed to causes they support; rarely do you hear "that money would pay for one year of police misconduct settlements." 

http://www.navypierflyover.com/faq/

What is the project’s construction budget and how is it funded?
The Navy Pier Flyover is primarily funded by the US. Department of Transportation using Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ), with additional funding from the State of Illinois. The first phase of construction is budgeted at $22.5 million. The next two phases of construction will be funded by the same sources in their respective construction years.

This is a big project and I'm glad we're spending the money for a permanent fix.  I guarantee you that 10 years from now nobody is every going to look back and fondly recall the routine blind-corner near misses at the base of the Lake Point Tower at Grand.

Permalink Reply by Tricolor on November 28, 2015 at 4:49pm

I'm just worried it's going to be too narrow for the traffic it's going to get in the summer.

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on November 29, 2015 at 11:00am

Especially when those 4 wheeled family bicycles meet headlong beside Lake Point Tower during a hot weekend afternoon. I can see the traffic choppers zooming in overhead, then panning out to the bikes jammed for blocks in either direction. I can feel the bike rage brewing already. John Kass will love it. 

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