Take a virtual walk on the Winnslie Parkway Expansion, and a ride on the Ravenswood Avenue Greenway
A recent street remix along Metra’s Union Pacific Line on Ravenswood Avenue (1800 W.), in the eponymous neighborhood, not only made walking and biking safer, but also expanded a beloved community space.
The Chicago Department of Transportation project lengthened the existing Winnslie Parkway garden and strolling path that parallels the railroad embankment. “Winnslie” is a portmanteau of Winnemac (5030 N.) and Ainslie (4900 N.) avenues, the green space’s previous boundaries.
Upgrades covered the 1.5 mile segment from Lawrence (4800 N.) to Peterson (6000 N.) avenues, between the recently rehabbed Ravenswood UP-N station and the two-year-old Peterson/Ridge stop. They were inspired by a plan to repave the east leg of Ravenswood from Wilson (4600 N.) to Peterson avenues.
The project involved adding a southbound contraflow bike lane tfrom Winnemac to the Leland Greenway (4700 N.) The 0.1-mile stretch of the new southbound bikeway between Winnemac and Ainslie has curb protection, which involved converting some existing curbside parking spots on the west side of the street.
When that change was proposed at an April 2024 community meeting, it received some pushback from neighbors who feared it would create a parking crunch. But then-47th Ward chief of staff Josh Mark explained at the time that the existing car spots were getting relatively little use.
The initiative included extending Winnslie Parkway south from Ainslie to Lawrence by converting diagonal parking on the west side of Ravenswood to parallel spots, providing additional right-of-way. CDOT also installed several raised crosswalks and speed humps to calm traffic.
Dozens of City officials, open space advocates, and neighborhood activists showed up this morning for a ribbon-cutting celebration. When I got there, I took the liberty of asking CDOT spokesperson Erica Schroeder a “devil’s advocate” question about the short stretch of protected bike lane.
“A critic might ask of this design, ‘What was the point of doing a protected bike lane that’s only something like two blocks long?'” I asked. “You’re installing a lot of concrete, so it’s kind of expensive, you’re taking out on-street parking spaces, and it’s often not not going to be rideable during the winter, because after a snowstorm, plow drivers are unlikely to go out of their way to clear two blocks.”
“We use a lot of different designs and methods for our bikeways, from concrete protection to greenways,” Schroeder replied. “So when space allows and concrete is something we can do… So maintaining street parking where needed, but creating a safe route for cyclists. As you know, Ravenswood is such a great connector to other modes: the Metra station, the new terminus of the 9 Ashland bus [north of Leland], and the Leland Greenway.”
The ceremony was a happy occasion, as decision makers and community members lauded the new safety infrastructure and public space.
Friends of Winnslie Parkway President Mark Weber provided some history. “Take a look at the row of junipers here, and also all these really big trees along the embankments,” he said. “You wonder, how did those get there? It turns out that 37 years ago there was a young landscape architect who lived in the neighborhood, who also happens to be here today, and I want to give a big hand to Stephen Christy.” The crowd applauded and cheered. “They say the best time to plant a treet was 20 years ago,” Weber continued. “Well, Stephen beat that by 15 years. And amazing foresight inspired us to make this parkway even better for generations to come.”
Recently appointed CDOT Commissioner William Cheaks addressed the crowd, discussing the nuts and bolts of the project. “We reconfigured the west side of Ravenswood between Ainslie and Lawrence, converting the underused diagonal parking to parallel parking,” he said. “That created space for more than 1,000 feet of new walking path, landscaping, and a community garden. At the same, we had an opportunity to make the surrounding streets safer and more welcoming.”
Active Transportation Alliance cofounder Randy Neufeld, who lives nearby, attended the gathering. “What’s really cool that this is actually two projects,” he told me. “It’s harder to coordinate two project than one project. but the CDOT project in the street, where the bikes are, and then there’s this sort of nature and pedestrian space that’s here, a community meeting space, hangout space, and kids play space. There are so many opportunities like Winnslie Parkway all over the city. It’s nice to have some attention, and a mix of community sweat equity, and some money for this from the Open Space Impact Fee program. What you’re seeing a public space project implemented by neighbors who love the community, and a street project by an agency that gives a damn about what it looks like and how it functions.”
Check out the new facilities in the videos below.
This article is part of Streetsblog Chicago’s Bike Lane Fest 2025-26 project, covering every recently installed bikeway we haven’t previously written about, ideally by the end of September Here are some previous posts:
• “It’s time for Streetsblog Chicago’s Bike Lane Fest 2025-26”
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