Chicagoans take pride in their parks—from the Lakefront Trail to the 606, and now possibly another with the Addison Underbridge Connector. The name is tentative, and hopefully it's not called that for long, but the proposed bike path will connect parks and bits of trail from Belmont to Montrose avenues.
According to DNAinfo Chicago, the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners moved forward and voted to approve a lease agreement with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. This necessary step secures the property needed to build the trail between Clark Park (3400 N Rockwell Ave) and California Park (3843 N California Ave). If all goes well, construction on the new industrial-rustic looking path could be done by fall of 2017.
Expect to see cyclists, runners and those just out for a stroll on the trail that will stretch nearly two miles long. In a few spots, the path will stretch more than 16 feet over the water, appearing almost as if it's floating in mid-air over the river. The project also includes an underpass at Addison Street and a new bridge over the river leading to California Park. It also links up with another project that aims to reconstruct Irving Park Road, thereby stretching the path north to Montrose Avenue.
The current state of the riverbank between Belmont and Montrose is ugly at best. Right now, the path is marked by graffiti and patches of muddy riverbank. Let's hope the city ups its glacial pace to get construction started.
Image: Courtesy of Chicago Department of Transportation
Image: Courtesy of Chicago Department of Transportation
Image: Courtesy of Chicago Department of Transportation
Image: Courtesy of Chicago Department of Transportation