NBC Chicago reported today that the Chicago Department of Transportation completed its’ first fully protected bike lane on a stretch of Kinzie Avenue in the River North neighborhood. The half-mile lane on Kinzie stretches from Milwaukee Avenue to Wells Street. The lane completely separates cyclist traffic from vehicle traffic.
The bicyclist lane is the first step by the Rham Emanuel administration, who pledged to make Chicago a state of the art bicycling city. The plan aims to make roads safer for bicyclists and hopefully clear up some of the congested traffic we see day in and day out in Chicago.
Typically, cycle tracks are separated from vehicles by planter boxes or construction barriers, however for this pilot project, flexible posts were used instead.The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) originally received a $3.2 million federal grant to build a test track on Stony Island Avenue between 69th and 77th streets, but the project was dropped due to low cyclist traffic.The next phase of protected lanes are expected to be added to Jackson Street between Halsted Street and Damen Avenue.
Click here to watch the press conference from today’s announcement.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a Chicago bicycle accident or Chicago car accident, then call Chicago car accident attorney, Aaron Bryant, for a free consultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com.