Design

It wasn't crystal clear from the presentation earlier this month which "near-term" improvements are slated for construction this summer, so here's a recap.

Now that they've got support from residents, the campaigners want to get the Obama Foundation, Mayor Emanuel, and the CTA onboard with the proposal.

Overall the proposed development will bring new housing to a long-vacant lot without adding an excessive number of car spaces, so it represents a step in the right direction.

The five-way intersection of Belmont, Western, and Clybourn, as well as the stretch of Western between the Chicago River and Lane Tech High, is friendlier to pedestrians and a lot less gloomy thanks to the just-completed project to remove the nearly 60-year-old Riverview flyover. However, the street makeover missed some opportunities to make the corridor safer and more accessible to all road users, maintaining the overwhelmingly car-centric nature of the corridor.

While most of this stretch won't be getting bike lanes in the near future, a number of bike- and pedestrian-friendly changes are planned for later this year.

At yesterday’s public meeting on the North Lake Shore Drive reconstruction the public got a better look at what the Illinois and Chicago departments of transportation have planned for the coastal highway.

This morning city and park district officials cut the ribbon on the first completed section of the Lakefront Trail separation project between 31st and 41st Street. This provides a preview of what trail separation will look like on the rest of the trail between 71st and Ardmore – where there’s sufficient space to create different paths for pedestrians and bicyclists. Separation along the entire lakefront is slated to be completed in 2018.

Last night, the advocacy organization hosted a gathering to encourage local residents to advocate for the bike lanes.

The main fly in the ointment is the lack of a proper bikeway on this stretch of Damen.