Infrastructure
January 14, 2025
BURR RIDGE – CISCO’s 4th 2024 Project of the Year Feature is the top choice of Infrastructure, which is the Lakefront Bicycle Trail #3 Over the Chicago River. General contractor was Granite Construction; the client was Chicago Department of Transportation.
When considering submissions, judging criteria is based on: quality of construction, design, impact on the community and safety record.
Nestled at 402 N. Lake Shore Drive on U.S. Route 41, the Lakefront Trail stretches over the Chicago River, positioned along the east intermediate level of the historic Lake Shore Drive Bascule Bridge. This prominent landmark is situated on the eastern edge of downtown Chicago’s Loop neighborhood, near the serene shores of Lake Michigan and just a short distance south of Navy Pier.
The Lakefront Trail is a beloved 16-foot wide multi-use path, which gracefully follows Chicago’s picturesque lakefront. However, as it approaches the east lower level of the Lake Shore Drive Bridge, the path constricts to a mere 8 feet. The Lakefront Bicycle Trail #3 project alleviated this bottleneck by widening the east sidewalk on the river bridge to a generous 16 feet.
To achieve this, the first floor at the intermediate level of the bridge houses were repurposed to support the expanded path. The project’s southern end seamlessly integrates with the existing ramps, while the northern limit connects to a new elevated trail segment constructed separately as part of the Lakefront Bicycle Trail #2 project at DuSable Park.
The project’s scope is comprehensive, encompassing a variety of critical tasks, including:
• Reconstruction and widening of the east sidewalk on the intermediate level of the Lake Shore Drive Bascule Bridge.
• Extensive rehabilitation of the existing structure, involving electrical, mechanical, and structural work on the bascule bridge and its approaches.
• Installation of new lighting for the east sidewalk.
• Replacement of the roadway deck at the intermediate level.
• Upgrading the sidewalk decking on both intermediate level sidewalks.
• Structural and architectural modifications to the east bridge houses, along with rehabilitation of four bridge houses and the stairways leading to the river level.
• Coordination with adjacent construction projects and various stakeholders, including the Chicago Park District, property owners, community groups, City, State, and Federal departments, the Coast Guard, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Lakefront Bicycle Trail #3 project expanded the Lakefront Trail’s width from 8 feet to 16 feet on the east side of the DuSable Lake Shore Drive Bascule Bridge. Originally constructed between 1929 and 1937, this bridge was once the longest, widest, and heaviest bascule bridge in the world.
The lower level of Lake Shore Drive, carrying the Lakefront Trail, was added in 1984, and this project marks the first significant renovation to this section, fulfilling Daniel Burnham’s visionary “Make No Little Plans” ethos.
To accommodate the widened trail, the existing bascule bridge underwent extensive mechanical and electrical rehabilitations, including refurbished center and heel locks, and an entirely upgraded power and control system. Structural repairs included replacing all the stringers of Lower Lake Shore Drive and installing a new concrete-filled grid deck.
The project was executed by 100 percent Union crews, including Carpenters, Laborers, Operating Engineers, Teamsters, Cement Masons, Architectural Ironworkers, Electricians, Ironworkers, and Millwrights. In total, more than 200,000 man-hours were invested, creating 96 years’ worth of jobs.
All this work was completed with one recordable safety incident on the project over the course of the 4 1/2 years of construction. Upon its completion, the Lakefront Trail Phase 3 project transformed one of the most notorious sections of the original trail, allowing cyclists and pedestrians to move freely along the widened path from Ohio Street Beach to the south side of the Chicago River, with continued access to Chicago’s iconic Riverwalk.
