Bike-Only Path From North to Fullerton Is Almost Finished

Earlier this week I discussed plans for Lakefront Trail separation between Ardmore and Montrose (which will add a half-mile to the bike route and eliminate a couple of street crossings), as well as the Chicago Park District's strategies to prevent crashes at the intersections of bike-only and pedestrian-only paths.

It looks like there will be a ribbon cutting any day now for the new stretch of bike-only trail between North and Fullerton -- striping and a new shortcut access path from Fullerton were recently completed. So I thought I'd share a few pics from a spin I took on it yesterday.

The new trail isn't technical open yet, but plenty of cyclists are already using it. If you've checked it out, what do you think -- is being closer to Lake Shore Drive noise and smog outweighed by having less trail traffic to deal with and interesting, slightly elevated views of the lake?