The next phase of the Lakefront Trail Separation project broke ground on Monday afternoon to create separate bike and pedestrian paths from 41st to 55th Streets. Construction for this section is expected to be complete by the end of 2017. The Lakefront Trail Separation was designed to alleviate areas of congestion by creating two distinct paths; a bike trail and a separate pedestrian trail for those on foot. Initial funding was provided by the Chicago Park District. Completion of the project was made possible by a generous donation from Ken Griffin, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Citadel.

The first section, from 31st Street to 41st Street, was completed in June, with continued construction from Fullerton to North Ave. and Oak Street to Ohio Street. Chicago’s entire 18-mile Lakefront Trail, which runs from Ardmore Avenue on the north to 71st Street on the south, will be separated for cyclists and pedestrians, and is expected to be complete in 2018. Once complete, the split trail will provide separate paths for cyclists and pedestrians along the entire 18-miles. The standard bike trail will measure 12 feet in width and the pedestrian trail will measure 20 feet in width with 14 feet of asphalt or concrete and 3 feet of compacted stone mix on both sides. In some cases due to site constraints, these standard designs could not be achieved so the dimensions have been altered as necessary. Used by cyclists, joggers and people enjoying the scenery, it is estimated that more than 100,000 people per day use the trail during summer weekends according to a recent study by Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA) and the Active Transportation Alliance (ATA).