Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by JMinHP on November 3, 2014 at 7:11am

I take Cannon Drive and use the path underpass under LaSalle to reach Dearborn or State. Both State and Dearborn were repaved this summer north of Division and are baby butt smooth. An enjoyable 4 blocks for sure.

Joe Guzzardo said:

Hmmm, I never considered Cannon Drive. Southbound you take it to North and then turn onto State? 

Permalink Reply by JMinHP on November 3, 2014 at 7:37am

I prefer to salmon north on Cannon (b/n North & Fullerton) rather than ride Stockton. Stockton raises my stress level with how narrow it is and the type of traffic it attracts - parked cars on one side (usually non-locals going to the zoo and lacking awareness about opening car doors), other cars looking for parking and therefore not paying attention, buses trying to squeak by each other. It's tight! But, this is just my opinion and I know others who also prefer Stockton over Cannon. Anyways, it's never a bad thing to have alternate routes.

Cameron 7.5 mi said:

This is my favorite route south:

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Lakefront+Trail&daddr=41.937...

 

Going north I like:

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=E+Adams+St/Historic+U.S.+66+W&am...

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on November 3, 2014 at 8:00am

Hmmm, thanks for pointing out that Cannon is a southbound only street. Dearborn gets hairy in the evening once you're north of the protected bike lanes. 

As you said, though, its always good idea to have alternate routes available. 

Thanks to you and Cameron for your suggestions. 

JM 6.5 said:

I prefer to salmon north on Cannon (b/n North & Fullerton) rather than ride Stockton. Stockton raises my stress level with how narrow it is and the type of traffic it attracts - parked cars on one side (usually non-locals going to the zoo and lacking awareness about opening car doors), other cars looking for parking and therefore not paying attention, buses trying to squeak by each other. It's tight! But, this is just my opinion and I know others who also prefer Stockton over Cannon. Anyways, it's never a bad thing to have alternate routes.

Cameron 7.5 mi said:

This is my favorite route south:

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Lakefront+Trail&daddr=41.937...

 

Going north I like:

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=E+Adams+St/Historic+U.S.+66+W&am...

Permalink Reply by JMinHP on November 3, 2014 at 8:11am

Check out Cannon if you have a chance. Cannon is a normal two-way street between Fullerton and Belmont. Cannon is the Zoo parking lot between Fullerton and North. It's one way in that cars enter at the north end and exit at the south end. I guess it's technically one way, but not a typical one-way street.

Joe Guzzardo said:

Hmmm, thanks for pointing out that Cannon is a southbound only street. Dearborn gets hairy in the evening once you're north of the protected bike lanes.

Permalink Reply by Tricolor on November 4, 2014 at 2:04am

It was a little better last night.  All the stray slabs of asphalt have been removed from the trail but you still need to bump over the missing sections.  About a third of the sand covering the trail south of Fullerton has been removed, but it's still impassible so you need to use the single track near Lake Shore Drive to bypass it.  NPR reported the Park District plans to have the whole trail cleaned up and smooth by the end of the week.

Permalink Reply by S on November 4, 2014 at 5:31am

By smooth do they mean the asphalt will be repaired or will that just mean that the slabs will have been removed but there will still be missing chunks?

Tricolor said:

It was a little better last night.  All the stray slabs of asphalt have been removed from the trail but you still need to bump over the missing sections.  About a third of the sand covering the trail south of Fullerton has been removed, but it's still impassible so you need to use the single track near Lake Shore Drive to bypass it.  NPR reported the Park District plans to have the whole trail cleaned up and smooth by the end of the week.

Permalink Reply by Joe Studer 8.0 mi on November 4, 2014 at 5:38am

From DNAinfo

STREETERVILLE — Construction crews from the Chicago Park District began clearing the Lakefront Trail Monday of the broken asphalt that cluttered the path after Friday's stormy weather.

Cyclists Monday morning were forced off their bikes to maneuver around the Bobcats and Park District vehicles used to push the broken asphalt off the path just south of North Avenue Beach. While some groaned about it, it was necessary to prepare the trail for its repaving Tuesday, one construction worker said.

"They'll clean it all up and redo the asphalt tomorrow — weather permitting," the worker said.

The worker said crews had been out since early Monday clearing the weather's damage from Evanston to the Indiana border.

Rob Rejman, director of Planning and Development for the Park District, said the crews began work Monday morning around 7 a.m. and were focusing on cleaning up two problem areas from "Goethe Street to Oak Street" and from "47th and 51st street."

"It was really hammered," said Rejman, adding that the secondary trail took most of the damage and "was hit with an amazing amount of debris."

That area of the trail had deteriorated before the waves hit Friday, but it is part of a much bigger project already underway to restore the concrete shoreline, so most of the work there will be just clearing the debris, Rejman said.

The North Side problems included pavement that had "peeled off" because of the powerful waves, he said.

"It looks like a deck off cards that just got shuffled," he said.

Rejman estimated the damage would cost "a couple hundred thousand dollars by the time it's all done."

While the Park District hopes to have the trail repaved by the end of the week, the work could take until next week if it rains, Rejman said.

Permalink Reply by Tricolor on November 4, 2014 at 2:08pm

The sand south of Fullerton has been dug away from the trail to its full width.  The pavement could use a sweep but the trail is open and relatively safe.

North of Oak Street there was a small contracting crew with a few bobcats and a small steamroller setting up a detour around the missing pavement chunks; looks like at the least that's going to be repaired, maybe even overnight.

Permalink Reply by Josh L. on November 4, 2014 at 2:13pm

I would second triclor. I went Wilson/North with no problems whatsoever. Saw them working farther South and at North Ave sign said LFP was closed.

Permalink Reply by Josh L. on November 4, 2014 at 4:33pm

replying to my own reply.

Took the LFP home this evening from Oak.  They have detour signs heading North that bracket the damaged area. You have to slow down to go through a small opening.  They have removed the asphalt surface for about 150 meters but still bikeable (just went slow, on larger tires).

Just past North there is a sign saying closed southbound but again once you are in the area they have marked it as detour, not closed. Not sure if they will be working on the asphalt tomorrow and closing it down.

So I think if you are out early tomorrow you should be able to take the LPF between North and Oak. Was open tonight.

Permalink Reply by Shelley Scott on November 5, 2014 at 2:15am

So glad I decided to ride the path today, because it was totally fine (between Montrose and Chicago Ave)--just one slight detour down to the concrete near the lake between Fullerton and North (photo here looking back north after the detour stretch), but the friendly park district guy who was there said this will be repaved today. He apologized for the inconvenience, to which I replied that I was very impressed how quickly they're fixing this. Still some sandy spots to be cautious about when breaking (I find sand more treacherous than ice), but overall a glorious lakefront commute today.

Permalink Reply by Michelle S on November 5, 2014 at 11:17am

As of this morning (Wednesday 11/5), the sand between Fullerton and North was all plowed away, and it was fine to ride again. There were workers already putting down new asphalt between Goethe and Division, along the Gold Coast, and a worker told me it should be open for riding again tomorrow. In the mean time, there was plenty of room to ride on the concrete next to it instead.

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