CDOT is working on a project to improve the Lakefront Trail from the Chicago River to Navy Pier.  Known as the Navy Pier Flyover, the project calls for a dedicated, grade-separated Trail section.  Currently, the Lakefront Trail runs along the Lake Shore Drive Bridge sidewalk and street-designated paths around Navy Pier, while crossing both Grand and Illinois Streets.

The section of the Lakefront Trail between Navy Pier and the Chicago River is one of the most heavily used portions of the 18.5-mile Lakefront Trail.  It has grade-crossing conflict points at Grand Ave. and Illinois Street, and uses the lower-level sidewalk of the Lake Shore Drive (LSD) Bridge, which is 8 feet wide in most places with at least one pinch point down to 6 feet.

The Lakefront Trail is part of the city’s transportation network, serving thousands of users every day.  It is important to address safety and congestion issues here in the same way we do for other parts of the transportation network. The project provides a world-class, innovative bridge design, as well as eliminates several critical pinch points and at grade crossings.

CDOT is currently in the design phase of improving the Navy Pier and Chicago River Bridge segments of the lakefront trail. The Lakefront Trail currently narrows through the Chicago River Bridge sidewalk and directs users to street-designated paths around Navy Pier. 

Starting at the south end of the project, the sidewalk on the east side of the LSD movable bridge will be widened to 16 feet; the northbound side of the new path will tunnel through the existing bridge houses in order to achieve this additional width.

The trail will then swing east of LSD and run north parallel to and level with lower-level LSD through DuSable Park. After crossing over Ogden Slip, there will be an off-ramp connection to Navy Pier; the main path will then rise to run behind Lake Point Towers; finally, it will pass over Grand Avenue, Jane Addams Park and the Ohio Street underpass, connecting to the existing trail at the north end of Jane Addams Park.

Click on the link below for more information about the project.

Navy Pier Flyover