August 25, 2015

Elevated railway in Chicago gets reborn as a trail through the city

AP Photo/Christian K. Lee [enlarge]

An abandoned railway line where freight trains once clattered now allows Chicago's bike commuters, walkers and joggers to traverse a ribbon of concrete undulating through a lush landscape.

The nearly three-mile elevated Bloomingdale Trail has changed how residents move through Chicago's northwest side since it opened in June.

The trail also links a string of ground-level parks known collectively as The 606.

It's an example of how cities are transforming obsolete infrastructure into new urban amenities. Some others include the High Line in New York City and Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, which was built over a freeway.

The Urban Land Institute reports the first phase of the project was designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Collins Engineers and local artist Frances Whitehead. It involves repairing or replacing 37 century-old viaducts, constructing a new bridge for truck access and remediation of contaminated soil. Pedestrian ramps for the handicapped link the trail to streets and parks, and there are spaces for art installations planned along the trail as well as benches and fountains.

Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail is a nonprofit formed in 2003 to advocate for the trail. The Trust for Public Land is project manager for the Chicago Park District, which will own and manage the park.

The Chicago Department of Transportation is managing design and construction.

Luke Young, a 30-year-old web developer, said he now bikes the 10 miles from his home in the Galewood neighborhood to his job downtown instead of taking the train.