New Bike Path Connecting Lakefront Trails Coming to North Side of Chicago

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The Chicago Department of Transportation (“CDOT”) commitment to making the city more bicycle friendly and make bike transportation more accessible, is coming to fruition with a new northside bike path. According to Blockclub Chicago, the city is compleing a 2.5-mile bike route connecting the North Shore Channel Trail and Chicago’s lakefront trail. The path will lead to Winnemac Park, Andersonville’s Clark Street and the Asia on Argyle corridor.

CDOT told Blockclub that the only remaining stretch of the path that needs to be completed is of a 1 mile stretch between Damen Broadway through Ravenswood and Uptown. An exact timeline has not been announced, but it is expected to be finished before the end of the year.

The project is called “Winnemac Avenue Neighborhood Greenway.” Neighborhood greenways are bike routes on residential streets that include larger bike lanes (typically on oneway streets) and provide safer and calmer routes than biking on busy streets. You can view a map of the Winnemake greenway by clicking here.

A similar neighborhood greenway was constructed on Dickens street, that stretches from the 606 trail on the west side all the way to the Lincoln Park Zoo and the lake front. Dickens is a a west direction oneway street, but now contains a large bike lane that allows bicyclists to ride in both directions.

I continue to applaud these efforts by the city to improve bicycle accessiblity, especially allowing for paths throughout the city that are calmer and more kid friendly. This is not only safer for bicyclists, but will hopefully lead to less congested roads.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Chicago bicycle accident or a Chicago traffic accident, then call the Chicago injury lawyers at The Bryant Law Group, LLC. for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076 or go to the firm’s website directly at www.blgchicago.com.

Phase 2 Of Grand Avenue Contruction To Begin In 2026

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According to Block Club Chicago and the Chicago Department of Transportation (“CDOT”), a long awaited road improvement project on Grand Avenue will not begin until next year. CDOT announced earlier this week that the city is still going through a formal bidding process for the contruction, which will delay the start, which was originally announced in the summer of 2024.

The project along Grand Avenue, which stretches from Chicago Avenue to Ogden, will include additional protected bike lanes, slower speed limits, bus boarding islands, utility and structural work.

The first phase of the Grand avenue project, which stretched from Chicago Avenue to Damen, was completed last summer.

I applaud these road projects that have occurred piece by piece through the city the last five plus years. The additions of dedicated bike lanes and newer and protected CTA bus stops, makes busy streets and intersections much safer for bicyclists and pedestrians. Also, hopefully, reduce the number of cars on the road, by encouraging people to bike, walk and take public transportation. Also the streets (like Grand) look much nicer and more modern once construction is completed.

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicago bicycle accident, then call the Chicago accident lawyers at the Bryant Law Group, LLC for a free legal consutlation at 312-614-1076 or go directly to the firm’s website at www.blgchicago.com.

Construction On State & Lake CTA Station Begins This Week

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According to ABC 7 Chicago, construction on the CTA train station at State and Lake began this week, which will cause quite a few street closures over the next few weeks and months. The CTA train station, which is over 100 years old, will remain open during construction, but will receive wider platforms and new elevators. The initial phase of the construction project is expected to take four (4) months.

Despite the train stop staying open, there will be multiple street closures that may affect your commute should you take the bus, drive, bike or drive into the downtown loop. Here are the following street closures:

  1. Starting this week: Lake from Dearborn Street to Wabash Avenue will be reduced to one lane.
  2. Next week: State Street lanes will be shut down.
  3. State Street from Lake to Randolph Street will be reduced to one lane in both directions.

You can see an artist rendition of the new station by clicking here.

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a Chicago car crash or Chicago truck accident, then call the Chicago personal injury attorneys at The Bryant Law Group at 312-614-1076 or go directly to the firm’s website at www.blgchicago.com.

Road Safety Improvements Coming To Brighton Park Neighborhood

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Block Club Chicago reported recently that there are several road improvements and additional bicycle lanes coming in the Brighton Park neighborhood along Kedzie and Archer avenues.

The Chicago Department of Transportation (“CDOT”) announced that there will be a complete redesign on Archer Avenue from Western Avenue to 47th Street and South Kedzie Avenue from 28th Street to Archer Avenue. The improvements are part of what the city has called the “Complete Streets Initiative.”

The announced plans include 4 miles of protected bike lanes, added left turn lanes, concrete pedestrian islands, curb extensions and updated bus shelters.

These are much needed improvements as this stretch of roads was considered dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclists. According to city officials, Brighton Park had 43 percent more traffic fatalities than other neighborhoods in Chicago. Of the 6,439 traffic accidents on those stretches of the streets from 2019-2023, there were 1,426 people injured and 14 people killed, with half of those killed being pedestrians despite the population only being involved in 2 percent of all car crashes. “The goal of the proposed street transformations is to make Brighton Park a safer neighborhood for drivers, bicyclists and people on foot”, officials said. The new outlet did not provide a timeline on when the project will be completed.

If you or a loved one have been injured in a Chicago traffic accident or Chicago pedestrian accident, then call the Chicago personal injury attorneys at The Bryant Law Group, LLC., for a free consultation at 312-614-1076, or go directly to the firm’s website www.blgchicago.com.

Jackson County, IL Sheriff Ramping Up Traffic Safety Enforcement

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The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department is joining hundreds of other Illinois law enforcement agencies in the effort to increase traffic safety over the 4th July holiday. The traffic safety campaigns include “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” “Drive High Get a DUI,” and “Click It or Ticket.” The sheriff’s department are deploying additional traffic patrol officers, which is supported by federal traffic safety funds from the Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”). These efforts are part of IDOT’s broader “It’s Not a Game” media campaign, highlighting the dangers of impaired driving.

The initiative will focus on catching impaired and unbuckled drivers from June 20 through July 7. “We’re asking all of our residents and visitors to celebrate Independence Day safely,” said Sgt. Ronald Stanton from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.

4th of July is a busy time on the roads, which a lot of celebrations. Please buckle up and always have a designated driver in your group.

Should you or a loved one unforturnately suffer a serious injury from an Illinois traffic accident or Chicago truck accident, then call the Chicago car accident attorneys at The Bryant Law Group, LLC. for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076 or go directly to to the firms website at www.blgchicago.com.

Swim Safety Tips For Kids

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School is out, summer is here and pools are open. This is a fun time of year for all and it’s a great time to remind ourselves how to keep our kids safe at the pool. If you haven’t already, it’s a great time to get your kids into swim lessons. If time or money is an issue, the Red Cross has free online lessons that can be accessed here. Also, the Chicago Park District offers affordable aquatic lessons ($20-$50 for 8 week sessions) at multiple city pools.

The American Red Cross releases swimming safety tips every year, which I have provided below:

  • Swim in designated areas supervised by lifeguards. Always swim with a buddy; do not allow anyone to swim alone.
  • Provide close and constant attention to children you are supervising, even when a lifeguard is present, no matter how well the child can swim or how shallow the water. Avoid distractions including cell phones.
  • Never leave a young child unattended near water and do not trust a child’s life to another child; teach children to always ask permission to go near water.
  • Designate a “water watcher” whenever in a group setting.
  • Stay within an arm’s reach of any weak or inexperienced swimmer who is in the water. 
  • Have young children or inexperienced swimmers wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets around water, but do not rely on life jackets alone.
  • Do not rely on the use of water wings, swim rings, inflatable toys or other items designed for water recreation to replace adult supervision. 
  • If you have a pool, secure it with appropriate barriers to prevent unsupervised access to the water.
  • If a child is missing, check the water first. Seconds count in preventing death or disability.
  • Know how and when to call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number.
  • Have appropriate equipment, such as reaching or throwing equipment, a cell phone, life jackets and a first aid kit.
  • Enroll in age-appropriate Red Cross water orientation and learn-to-swim courses.
  • Enroll in Red Cross home pool safety, water safety, first aid and CPR/AED courses to learn how to prevent and respond to emergencies.

Have fun this summer but be always take precautions. If you or a loved one have a suffered personal injury or an accident in Chicago, then call the Chicago accident attorneys at The Bryant Law Group, LLC., for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076 or go to the firms website at www.blgchicago.com.

Good News: Kennedy Expressway Construction Ahead of Schedule

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Chicagoans who commute in and out of the downtown loop using 90/94 and others driving to and from O’Hare airport received some welcome new this week. The final phase of the 90/94 (“Kennedy Expressway”) appears to be a month ahead of schedule. IDOT has not wavered from the Thanksgiving completion date, but they did state they are about a month ahead of schedule, which would hopefully put completion sometime in October 2025.

IDOT announced last week the following lane and exit openings and closings, which they said, have come a month ahead of what was originally scheduled.:

-Effective Sunday, June 1, traffic leaving downtown Chicago and heading northwest will be able to use both the express and local lanes to continue between Addison Street and the Kennedy-Edens junction at Montrose Avenue to get to O’Hare International Airport.

-the outbound lanes will shift slightly to the left on the new pavement between Addison Street and Montrose Avenue, and the reversible lanes will remain open in the outbound direction — with two mainline outbound lanes closed at a time. The reversible mid-gate entrances and exits will stay closed

This is welcome news and let’s hope that the project is actually completed ahead of schedule. Remember to stay alert when driving on the Kennedy. Traffic is tight and always be aware of the construction workers on the road.

If you or a loved one have been injured in Chicago traffic accident, please call the Illinois car crash attorneys at The Bryant Law Group, LLC., for a free legal consultion at 312-614-1076 or go directly to the firm’s website at www.blgchicago.com.

Beware of Online Illinois Traffic Ticket Scam

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If you recieve a text to your phone or an email stating that you owe money for unpaid traffic tickets or unpaid Illinois road tolls, you should delete and report those messages as junk.

Many of the text messages look like this:

Illinois State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Final Notice: Enforcement Penalties Begin on May 28. Our records show that as of today, you will have an outstanding traffic ticket. In accordance with Illinois State Administrative Code 15C-16.003, if you do not complete payment by May 27, 2025, we will take the following actions:

  1. Report to the DMV violation database
  2. Suspend your vehicle registration starting May 27
  3. Suspend driving privileges for 30 days
  4. Transfer to a toll booth and charge a 35% service fee
  5. You may be prosecuted and your credit score will be affected

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias had this to say about these scams: “If you receive one of these fake, unsolicited text messages, do not respond to it or click on any links,” Giannoulias said. “These phony texts are designed to trick you into giving up personal or financial information, which can lead to identity theft and fraud.”

This is a phishing scam, and should be deleted immediately. Even if you don’t provide your personal and financial information, clicking on the link could lead to sypware being downloaded onto your phone or computer which could lead to stolen personal information.

The Bryant Law Group, LLC., is a Chicago personal injury law firm. Call our office for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076 or go directly to our firm’s website at www.blgchicago.com.

Chicago’s State Street Bridge Closes For Repairs

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The State Street Bridge which is located over the Chicago River and connects the River North and downtown Loop neighborhoods closed earlier this month for emergency repairs. According the the Chicago Department of Transportation (“CDOT”), they recenty became aware of structural problems that needed to be addressed.

A CDOT spokesperson stated that they will begin critical structural repairs that will require a full closure of the bridge to vehicles and pedestrians through November 2025. The spokesperson stated, “as with all our bridges CDOT has been closely monitoring its condition and recent inspection identified deterioration that prompted us to move this repair project forward to ensure continued safety into the operation of the bridge.”

Te bridge repairs will include rehabbing the center locks, steel elements at its center, and replacing worn components that have damaged the roadway during extreme heat.

If you commute into the loop for work by foot, car or bus, this could affect your timing if you take State Street to arrive downtown. The 36 bus has been re-routed to the adjacent bridge. Although construction like this can be annoying for those who live and work downtown, it is improtant that these older bridges are stabilized and brought up to code to aboid any type of catostrophic accident in the future.

Should you or someone you love become seriously injured in a Chicago pedestrian accident or Chicago truck accident, then call the Chicago accident attorneys at The Bryant Law Group, LCC., for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076 or you can go directly to our website at www.blgchicago.com.

Lake County Sheriff Increasing Traffic Enforcement For Memorial Day

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Memorial Day weekend is around the corner, and as I wrote earlier in the week, AAA is predicting a record number of travelers on the roads and in the air this weekend.

The Lake County Illinois Sheriff’s department is looking to make things safer for those out on the roads this holiday weekend. They are implementing the national “Click It or Ticket” safety campaign to encourage drivers to fasten their seatbelts, put their phones down and drive safely.

“During this campaign, law enforcement agencies will be working together to ensure the
message reaches all drivers and passengers. Buckling up is the simplest way to reduce injury or save a life in a crash,” the Sheriff’s office said in a statement. The numbers back this up as the department stated that 72 percent of men killed in car crashes in 2023 didn’t have a seatbelt on, compared to 28 percent for women.

Additonal patrols will be on the roads looking to enforce all traffic safety rules throughout Lake County. This includes seat belt enforcement, texting and driving, drunk driving, reckles driving and driving within the speed limits.

If you have been injured in an Illinois traffic accident or Illinois truck accident, then call the Chicago accident attorneys at The Bryant Law Group, LLC, for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076 or go directly to our firm’s webstie at www.blgchicago.com.