Lakefront Trail Navy Pier Flyover section opens over Chicago River

If you use the Lakefront Trail, you’ll be happy to hear that the Navy Pier Flyover project is nearly complete. As of today, a new section over the Chicago River just opened.

“Work on the trail where it tunnels through the bridge houses on the east side of the bridge is continuing and is expected to be complete by April, weather permitting,” the Chicago Department of Transportation says.

The opening of the section over the bridge creates a continuous half-mile section of the Lakefront Trail from Jane Addams Park and the Ohio Street Beach at the north end to the south side of the Chicago River. Once work on the bridge houses is complete, the trail will be at least 16 feet wide.

Here is more information on the project from CDOT:

The Flyover portion of the project was opened in 2018 and provides a much-improved experience for users of the Lakefront Trail by carrying pedestrians, runners and cyclists over Grand and Illinois streets. This eliminated the at-grade street crossings and improved safety and the overall experience for all users.   

The third phase of project has involved retrofitting the existing Lake Shore Drive Bridge with a cantilever structure on the east side of the span to allow for widening the trail. The project also involves structural and mechanical repairs to the movable bascule bridge that was constructed in 1937. This structural work will continue through 2021. 

The current configuration of vehicle lanes on the bridge – in which northbound Lower LSD only provides access to northbound Upper LSD – is expected to remain in place until April. At that time, access will be restored from northbound Lower LSD to Illinois and Grand streets.