A world-class bikeways network comes to life

Keep your eyes open this spring — a world-class bikeways network is emerging, and in the weeks and months to come, you have the opportunity to watch it come to life.

City construction crews are hitting the streets installing a slew of transformative new bikeways all over Chicago. This is truly a historic time to be an advocate for safer streets and bicycling. Active Trans is proud to be a leader in the effort to secure a world-class bike network for our city.

As you know, the mayor has pledged to build a 100-mile bikeway network by the end of his first term, and Active Trans is working hard to make sure it happens. We’re organizing advocates like you, voicing our support at community meetings, and educating aldermen, local business owners, residents and community leaders about the benefits bikeways bring to Chicago neighborhoods.

Each new mile of bikeway is a strong statement that says bikes belong on Chicago’s streets, and we’re going to celebrate each one.

Active Trans is eagerly tracking the first 25 miles of new bikeways and keeping you informed of the city’s progress. Here’s what’s been happening this week:

Elston Avenue safety improvements begin
CDOT has big plans to remake Elston Avenue into a calmer, safer street for everyone who encounters it. How do you tame this beast? Plans call for traffic calming, enhanced crosswalks, intersection treatments, pavement markings, and of course, bikeways. The street is also an important corridor for bike traffic — people on bikes make up eight percent of all traffic on Elston! We’re thrilled the city is making these enhancements on this crucial passage between North Ave. and Milwaukee. This week crews have already started work on a new protected bike lane.

A protected bike lane for Franklin Boulevard
Construction crews are currently installing a new protected bike lane between Central Park and Sacramento, in the East Garfield Park community. This stretch begins at the Chicago Center for Green Technology and includes George Westinghouse College Prep High School. We’re excited to see a safer street emerge for students, residents and visitors to the area. We look forward to seeing more bikes and fewer crashes on Franklin in the months and years to come.

Additionally, two projects were completed last week:

Roscoe Street buffered bike lane — Crews have finished installing a new buffered bike lane between Damen and Western Avenues, which continues south on Campbell to Belmont. This new addition gives people a nice comfortable ride as they cruise through leafy Roscoe Village, making it safer and easier to hit the neighborhood’s grocery stores, local shops, restaurants and schools.

Division Street buffered bike lane — Located between Western and California Avenues, this lane is especially helpful for Humboldt Park residents, west side commuters and park goers. Previously the standard bike lane on Division abruptly ended at Western, so we’re particularly excited to see it extended with extra breathing room to help people of all ages cycle safely to Humboldt Park — a major hot spot for families. Make sure to add this route to your spring to-do list.

These new additions join already-completed bikeway projects, including the beloved protected bike lanes on Kinzie, 18th Street and Jackson Boulevard, and the comfortable buffered bike lanes on Jackson Boulevard and Wabash Avenue.

Here's the tally: 6.5 miles down, and 18.5 to go until Chicago’s first 25 miles of protected and buffered bikeways are complete!

Stay tuned for more updates every week as construction continues and the bikeways slowly transform Chicago into a safer, more livable city. We’ll also share ways for you to voice your support for Chicago’s bicycling revolution.

Thank you for your support in getting us here!