Lincoln Village Pedestrian Bridge Overhead View PDF

The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) was joined today by Alderman Debra Silverstein (50^th Ward) at the groundbreaking for a new pedestrian/bicycle bridge connecting the current North Shore trail in Chicago at Lincoln Avenue with the west path that continues to the northern suburbs. The new Lincoln Village Pedestrian Bridge will eliminate the need for users of the path to use Lincoln Avenue to cross from the east side of the North Shore Channel to the west side.

"Residents of the 50th Ward and the City of Chicago will finally have a beautiful and fully connected bike path," said Alderman Debra Silverstein. "Cyclists will soon be able to enjoy the trail all the way from Lawrence Avenue into the northern suburbs."

“The new bridge is a great example of Mayor Emanuel’s Building on Burnham program and will improve safety and the overall experience of using the path for pedestrians, joggers and bicycle-riders,” said CDOT Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld. “By connecting the existing shared-use paths on the east and west side of the North Shore Channel, we will close the final gap in the 6.7 mile North Shore Channel Trail.”

The Mayor’s Building on Burnham plan is a comprehensive effort to invest and create new recreational opportunities along the Chicago’s riverfront, the Lakefront and other natural areas in neighborhoods throughout the City. 

The 16-foot-wide, 180-foot-long Lincoln Village Bridge is expected to be in place by the fall. The bridge will provide pedestrian and bicycle access across the North Shore Channel at Hood Avenue (between Peterson and Granville), connecting the trails on either side. The Lincoln Village Bridge is the final link in the creation of a continuous multi-use trail connecting four municipalities along the North Shore Channel.  There is already a continuous 1.7 mile trail running through parks along the east bank of the North Branch and North Shore Channel from just north of Lawrence to Lincoln Avenue at Kedzie. The Lincoln Village Bridge will connect to Bernard Stone Park and the trail on the west bank of the North Shore Channel, with an additional five miles of trails on the west bank at Lincoln Village and continuing on into Lincolnwood, Skokie, and Evanston. 

The $3.4 million North Shore Channel Bridge is being funded with a combination of federal and local dollars, including funding from the state-administered, federally-funded Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program.  In addition to the bridge itself, the project encompasses fencing and lighting along both approaches to the bridge, vegetation removal along overgrown areas surrounding the bridge, and the planting of new trees and landscaping.

Also underway on the North Side riverfront is the 312 RiverRun project, another Building on Burnham initiative, which will create a two-mile trail connecting Horner Park to the north, to California and Clark Parks to the south. The project includes the Riverview Bridge, a 1,000-foot pedestrian and bike bridge, which will cross over the North Branch of the Chicago River and under the Addison Road Bridge, providing a new connection from Clark Park to California Park. Also under construction is the Irving Park Road Bridge and Multi-Use Path, which will create a new pedestrian and bike path under Irving Park Road along the west bank of the North Branch while also fully reconstructing the Irving Park Road Bridge.

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