New Bike Overpass Planned For Navy Pier
CHICAGO (WBBM/CBS) -- Chicago's cyclists could soon get a stylish new way to get to Navy Pier.
The City of Chicago Plan Commission on Thursday appoved a plan to build a modernistic overpass that would bridge the Chicago River on the city's lakefront trail.
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The project would fix a bottleneck that forces bicyclists, pedestrians, runners, and skaters onto the lower level of the Lake Shore Drive Bridge.
The current situation forces trail users to dodge cars at two intersections -- Grand Avenue and Illinois Street -- which raises safety concerns. The area gets particularly crowded during the Taste of Chicago, the Air and Water Show, and other high-traffic summer events.
The futuristic new overpass will be called the Navy Pier Flyover. It would extend from the south bank of the Chicago River to Jane Addams Memorial Park on the north, the Chicago Tribune's Blair Kamin reported.
The overpass would cantilever out from the eastern side of the Lake Shore Drive bridge's upper deck, Kamin reported.
The Tribune reports the project would cost up to $45 million. The city has already put together $34 million in federal and state money for it.
