To kick off our top 10, we have this low-key but cute underpass near the northern end of the Lakefront Trail. On one side of Lake Shore Drive, you have a quiet stretch of park space with a community garden as its centerpiece. On the other side, you have a beautiful mural (that might need a bit of a touch-up) welcoming you to the Edgewater neighborhood. The closeness to Foster Beach is a plus as well.
9th: Chicago Riverwalk
Underpass
Like Illinois Street on the other side of the Chicago River, this access point connects to a point of leisure that tourists and locals alike can enjoy. Named after said point of leisure, the Chicago Riverwalk underpass is adorned with murals under a series of Chicago blue arches. There are two things that prevent the Riverwalk entrance from placing higher than 9th, however, one that's fairly easy to fix and one maybe less so. The first is the incredibly plain and less-than-welcoming space outside of the access point, as you can see here. The second is the long walk from the underpass to the Lakefront Trail itself.
8th: Illinois Street
Overpass
Illinois Street ranks this high on my rankings for one feature in particular: its direct, accessible pathway to Navy Pier. There is also a stairway much like the one at Grand, but where Grand fails in accessibility and ability to connect to a massive city attraction, Illinois succeeds. Both Grand and Illinois are a part of a recent rebuild and rerouting of the Lakefront Trail between the Chicago River and Ohio Street, and I honestly believe the rampway alongside the Illinois Street Lake Shore Drive exit is the crown jewel of this new path.
7th: LaSalle
Overpass
LaSalle is the northernmost overpass to the Lakefront Trail, and the only access point north of McCormick Place that is a full-fledged bridge over Lake Shore Drive. It provides even more direct access to North Avenue Beach than the North Avenue or the LaSalle street level access points, and oftentimes sand dunes will form at the foot of the bridge because of it. Because of its location a good bit to the north of LaSalle, and its grade separation compared to Fullerton to the north, it's also a good choice of access point for anyone coming from Lincoln or Armitage Avenues, or even for anyone looking to go to Lincoln Park Zoo.
6th: 43rd Street
Overpass
Possibly the newest access point for the trail, this is a massive upgrade over the previous bridge. The previous bridge was a heavily degraded steel bridge that was inaccessible to bikes and mobility devices. This completely new bridge came with new park space as well, replacing a long out of use train station and gravel parking lot. One of the reasons it ranks below its twin just to the north, however, is because of how close the bend comes to the private residence next door.
5th: 41st Street
Overpass
The older of two twin bridges in the North Kenwood-Oakland area just in between Bronzeville and greater Hyde Park, 41st Street has a mirrored design to the bridge at 43rd Street. It ranks higher than 43rd for small reasons: while both bridges connect to playgrounds (41st at the western end and 43rd at the eastern end), 41st Street bridge is much closer to 41st Street Beach. The Chicago blue paint job on the bridges is nice, but both bridges would rank higher if they were a more neutral color like LaSalle and 35th Street.
4th: Buena
Underpass
While I really do tend to prefer overpasses to underpasses, there are various things about the best underpasses that really push them high up my list. Buena is a very quaint and lowkey underpass compared to the next two, but its ivy-covered entranceway is something I alays have to give bonus points to. The real gem of this access point is the Peace Garden, an absolutely beautiful small park featuring a statue right outside the tunnel's exit, a wide variety of plants and flowers, and a stunning pond. This garden takes a middle-of-the-pack underpass and takes it all the way to just barely outside of my top three.
3rd: 57th Drive
Underpass
When it comes to underpasses, I'm very partial to spacious ones like the one at 57th Street. I'm also partial to ones that are decorated with permanent artwork installations as well, like the mosaics here. While there is a bit of a walk from the exit to the trail itself, the proximity to 57th Street Beach is a huge plus. And the trees and flowers at the entranceway, as well as the second underpass which leads to the Museum of Science and Industry, are the cherries on top for this wonderful access point.
2nd: Roosevelt/Museum Campus
Underpass
This underpass has so many pluses: the spacious tunnel, the connections to mutiple city attractions, even a gorgeous skyline view as you enter Grant Park. While the foliage can be a little underwhelming, and the Museum Campus exit is a bit far from the Lakefront Trail itself, and the walls are a bit bare, connecting the Museum Campus to Chicago's premier downtown park without forcing pedestrians to deal with the hellscape that is Lake Shore Drive between Roosevelt and McFetridge Drive more than makes up for these relatively minor nitpicks.
1st: 35th Street
Overpass
This stunning Bronzeville bridge is far and away the most aesthetically pleasing access point on the entire trail. Like the one at 43rd Street, this recently replaced a decrepit and inaccessible bridge, but I much prefer the design of this bridge to the ones at 41st and 43rd. The bridge deposits you directly onto the trail itself, although there's a small detour to be made to get to the bike route of the trail. There's also a landing with rocks to sit on, as well as a couple of bike racks, but what really pushes this access point to the top of my list is the fact that this landing connects to one of the many nature trails in Burnham Park.
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Argyle is an incredibly plain underpass. Its most notable feature might be how narrow the dimly-lit tunnel under Lake Shore Drive is, which doesn't allow for much sunlight to enter either side of it, or the ivy-covered limestone just outside of the exit. There used to be a flower patch in the triangle outside of the landing, but it's no longer there.
19th: 47th Street
Underpass/Overpass
The overpass at 47th street ranks as high as it does off the strength of being an incredibly pretty and accessible overpass, but it also has many points against it. For example, to get to the overpass you have to cross an expressway entrance, as well as an underpass where half of the expressway passes over. The ramp up to the bridge itself is also way too close to the noisy car traffic. Originally I had it ranked higher, but the more I compared it to the next access point in particular, the further it fell.
18th: Oak
Underpass
One of the things I was most struck by is how long this underpass is, and how the trail seems to pass over the exit, which seems to better facilitate access to Oak Street Beach rather than the trail itself. The bathrooms at the end of the tunnel are very welcome additions, and the mural and the end of the tunnel is a nice touch as well. But what really damages the Oak Street underpass ranking for me is the proximity to the expressway entrance, and the noise pollution that brings.
17th: North Avenue
Underpass
North Avenue is another incredibly plain underpass, spruced up by advertisements on its exit walls in the summer. It does have the benefit of not having to compete with car traffic and minimal noise pollution compared to access points around it in the rankings, but otherwise there isn't really much to write home about this underpass on the southern end of Lincoln Park.
16th: Roscoe
Underpass
The Roscoe underpass on its own has a lot of similarities to Addison, but there are various miscellaneous things that boost its ranking well above Addison for me. There is no car crossing to worry about at Roscoe, and instead of a street crossing you're greeted by a view of Belmont Harbor. There is also a mural on the walls of the exit onto the trail, and artwork is always a bonus for me. And the cherry on top, is that there are bathrooms directly across the trail from the entry point.
15th: 63rd/Hayes Underpass
The underpass at 63rd and Hayes appears to be very new, but upon further research it seems to have been there for a while and has possibly been remodeled instead, in anticipation of the Obama Center to the northwest. It offers a much safer alternative to the Lake Shore Drive crossing at street level, and isn't exactly an eyesore like many other underpasses can be. The addition of signage outside of the exit, which I can confirm is new, helps to boost its ranking in terms of direction finding.
14th: Marquette
Underpass
Marquette offers a much safer alternative to the street-level crossing at Jeffery and Lake Shore Drive. It's design is very similar to the underpasses at 63rd and the closed underpass at 59th Street. However, I rank this underpass higher than the one at 63rd because as a Chicagoan, I find myself quite partial to the ivy that's grown over the structure. I hope it doesn't affect the stability of the underpass, as its a unique feature that adds character to a clean-looking yet cookie-cutter entry point.
13th: 55th Street
Underpass
The crossing at 55th street is incredibly well-used, as it leads directly to Promontory Point. This is a very popular gathering space in Hyde with fire pits and a large open field surrounded by trees. It would rank higher based on this alone, but I have to deduct points based on my experiences with cars trying to access the underpass themselves. Additions such as movable bollards occasionally mitigate this problem, but until a more permanent solution is found I feel like this ranking is pretty fair.
12th: Ohio Street
Underpass
Ohio Street benefits in these rankings from its strategic location, and I'm talking about more than just its direct access to Ohio Street Beach. It's more accessible than both the access points to the north and directly to the south, and compared to the two access points to the south there's less car traffic to deal with (accessing Illinois from Navy Pier aside.) The path to access the trail itself is a bit circuitous for bikes, as well as for pedestrians looking to go south, so that bumps its ranking down a little bit.
11th: 51st Street/Hyde Park Boulevard
Overpass
The 51st Street overpass is a bit older than the overpasses to the north of it, but that doesn't detract from its charm. The decent-sized Harold Washington Park that houses its entryway is another plus in its category. There are minor issues with the bridge that affect its ranking for me, such as rough sleepers underneath the entryway ramps and the fenced-off Monahan Point, but all-in-all you could do much worse than the 51st Street bridge.
Click here for Part 6!
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The access point at Grand is not accessible by bike or mobility device, however both the overpass at Illinois and the underpass at Ohio are. Both are half a block away from this one, so not too many points get deducted from Grand for that. Grand also ranks above Chicago and Division, two equally inaccessible entrances, on the benefit of being an overpass with a spacious and scenic landing.
29th: Hollywood
Street-Level Pathway*
At the end of Lake Shore Drive, and one block away from the end of the Lakefront Trail, is the entryway from Hollywood Avenue. A long path that extends down the final stretch of Lake Shore Drive, the pathway isn't actually accessible from Hollywood. Instead, you have to cross at the stoplight signaling the end of Lake Shore Drive from the southeast corner to the northeast corner.
28th: 71st and South Shore (near 72nd)
Two crosswalks with crosswalk signs
At the complete opposite end of the city, this is the southern endpoint of the Lakefront Trail. There are two crosswalks, but the one at the very end is often blocked by illegally parked cars (often in much more egregious ways than pictured above.) Along with the sidewalk, there are (unprotected, but marked) bike lanes that directly connect to the trail from the south.
27th: Waldron
Two crosswalks with stop signs
Waldron Drive is the closest access point to Soldier Field, and shares space with the entrance to Burnham Harbor. It therefore shares a lot of space with streets designated for cars, but unless there is an event at Soldier Field (or potentially the Harbor or Northerly Island to the east) this stretch of Special Olympics Drive is not often used. The lack of traffic makes this crossing much safer than other street crossings listed earlier in the rankings.
26th: Diversey
Underpass
One of the more shady-looking access points for the trail, the Diversey entrance shares space with the entryway for boats to access Diversey Harbor. There are two pathways to the north and the south of the harbor entryway, and each follow a circuitous route to the Lakefront Trail as it runs parallel to Lake Shore Drive, similar to the closed access point at 59th Street.
25th: Ardmore
Street-Level Pathway*
Ardmore Avenue and the northern end of Kathy Osterman Beach mark the northern end of the Lakefront Trail, a block north of the end of Lake Shore Drive. The eastern end of Ardmore, just east of the intersection with Sheridan Avenue, limits access to car traffic. This allows for the city's bike grid to safely connect to the Lakefront Trail without bikers having to worry about competing with cars for road space.
24th: Lakeshore East
One walkway with a stop sign*
In one of the richest parts of the city lies an unmarked access point for the Lakefront Trail. There are two entrances to the Trail and the neighboring DuSable Harbor: a bike-accessible path across the street from Lakeshore East Park on the lower street level, and at the bottom of Cascade Park on the upper level. Once these entrances converge, however, you have to cross a parking lot to get to the Lakefront, which takes this ranking from being top ten or even top five to being middle of the pack.
23rd: Addison
Underpass*
The Addison access point seems like a plain underpass when you first enter it, with a ramped incline instead of stairs. However, what makes this access point rank relatively low compared to other grade-separated access points is the need to cross car traffic once you exit the underpass. One of the three crossing points at Recreation Drive, the southernmost one, doesn't have a crosswalk, but there is a sign that indicates people crossing there.
22nd: McFetridge
Two crosswalks with stop signs and crosswalk signs
Because this stretch of Special Olympics Drive is a significant part of connecting the Museum Campus, there is more car traffic at this crossing than there is at Waldron. However, this means there are even more indicators for vehicles to watch for bikers and pedestrians in the crosswalks. In addition, there is a small, almost hidden pathway to the Lakefront Trail that links from the sidewalk at Solidarity Drive, next to the Shedd Aquarium CTA bus stop. This pathway is negligible enough to not warrant its own spot on the rankings, but it does help boost McFetridge's ranking.
21st: Barry
Underpass
Many of my rankings when it comes to grade-separated access points are based solely on aesthetic preference. There are still practical issues with having half of the underpass being gravel, for example it makes it easier for puddles to form like in the picture above. However, much of my ranking here is for how strange it looks to have one half of the underpass paved like a normal city sidewalk, and the other half as an unpaved gravel walkway.
Click here for Part 5!
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Two crosswalks across expressway exit/entrance with traffic lights
Irving Park Road is a very slight improvement on Fullerton and Belmont. In addition to the extra crosswalk on the south side of the intersection, it is closer to the trail than Fullerton is. And while you have to cross another intersection if you're entering the trail from the south crosswalk, there is no car crossing to deal with when using the north crosswalk.
38th: Chicago Avenue
Underpass
As far as grade-separated access points go, Chicago and Division are by far my least favorite. They are accessible by stairway only, thus being completely inaccessible to mobility devices like wheelchairs and power chairs. Aside from small bike ramps next to the stair rails that you can walk your bike down, they are inaccessible to bikes as well.
37th: Division
Underpass
The artwork in the stairwell isn't the only thing that pushes Division above Chicago in my rankings. Division also feels less claustrophobic when you exit out onto the trail, and can be used as something of an auxiliary entrance to Oak Street Beach just to the south. Pretty artwork and beach access aside, both of these access points should be considered for redesign and rebuild in the future, and in the present you're much better off using Oak Street (or Ohio, in Chicago Avenue's case.)
36th: 71st/Exchange
Two crosswalks with traffic light signal
One of the most confusing entrances to the Lakefront Trail, there are two crosswalks at this complex intersection that lead to the trail: the one on the north side of 71st and South Shore, and the one on the east side of 71st/South Shore and Exchange. Both of these crosswalks lead to one of the most picturesque landmarks on the entire trail: the entranceway to the South Shore Cultural Center. Crossing the street here sucks more than most access points, but the beautiful location makes up some of the points.
35th: 31st Street
One crosswalk across an expressway exit with traffic light signal
If my bias towards Bronzeville access points for the Lakefront Trail wasn't clear already, 31st Street ranks significantly higher than similar access points at Fullerton and Belmont. Like Oakwood Boulevard, it benefits from passing over Lake Shore Drive instead of under it. The access point to the trail is also much closer to the beach than most access points that have come before it.
34th: Bryn Mawr
One crosswalk across an expressway exit with crosswalk signs, and one direct pathway
Bryn Mawr is one of the most plain access points to the trail. There is a crosswalk across the Lake Shore Drive exit on the south side of Bryn Mawr, as well as an eastbound bike lane with no car traffic to compete with it. On the north side, there is an unpaved (or possibly, previously paved) dirt sidewalk. This is one of two access points with an unpaved sidewalk.
33rd: Foster
One crosswalk across an expressway exit with stop signs, and one direct pathway
Foster and Bryn Mawr are similar on the surface, with no northbound entrance lanes to impede a direct pathway. However there are a couple of noticeable differences: the direct pathway is paved, but unfortunately bike traffic has to compete with vehicles in the eastbound lanes. For these reasons, Foster and Bryn Mawr are kind of a wash in comparison to each other.
32.5: McCormick Place (Cermak Road)
Overpass
This access point to the Lakefront Trail is not, as far as I know, accessible to the public. It requires crossing through a breezeway in McCormick Place into its Lakeside Center Building, going to the outdoor fountain, and going down the steps, making it inaccesible for mobility devices and bikes as well. If it were a legitimate access point to the trail, it would rank here, but I also would like to think it would be remodeled to be more accessible if it ever did become a trail access point.
32nd: 59th Street
Underpass, Currently Closed
The underpass at 59th Street would probably be ranked higher on my list if it wasn't closed for construction of the Obama Center. However, it has been closed for a while, and I can't fully assess it as it is. It seems to be of a similar design to the underpass at 63rd/Hayes Street, with a walkway up to the Lakefront Trail running alongside Lake Shore Drive. It also, presumably, leads to the Midway Plaisance, the southern end of the Boulevard System.
31st: 18th Street
One crosswalk with stop signs*
18th Street seems like a pretty straightforward crossing on the surface: one crosswalk from the north side of the street to the south. However, in order to get to the crossing from the normal street grid, you have to cross a pedestrian bridge (which also houses a Metra station entrance) and then cross an expressway exit and entrance, as well as a parking lot entrance. From the foot of the pedestrian bridge to the entrance to the trail, it becomes a 15-minute walk.
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69th Street is nowhere near the best access point for the Lakefront Trail, but it's significantly better than the intersections both north and south of it for one reason: crosswalk signs. The issues that 68th and 70th have with crossing high levels of traffic are somewhat mitigated at 69th just by having signs indicating they're there. Of course, you have to still be able to trust that the drivers will recognize the crosswalk signs.
49th: Montrose
Two crosswalks across expressway exit/entrance with stop signs
There are many things I don't like about the Montrose Avenue entrance to the Lakefront Trail. There's the fact that it's across ramps that lead to Lake Shore Drive instead of being grade-separated from the street grid. There's the fact that the street continues for half a mile to the beach, making it not much different from a regular crosswalk. And the diversion of the actual trail to an underpass 1/10th of a mile away, instead of a direct continuation of the path it was on across Montrose, is the icing on top.
48th: Wilson
Two crosswalks across expressway exit/entrance with stop signs
Wilson has many of the same issues that Montrose has: crossing expressway exits/entrances and the street continuing past the trail in particular. Montrose, however, is a more heavily used street to the east of Lake Shore Drive compared to Wilson, and I believe as a result there's no diversion from the straight path the Lakefront Trail is on here. The parking lot roughly 300 feet from the trail does prevent it from being higher than the next access point on this list.
47th: Lawrence
Two crosswalks across expressway exit/entrance with stop signs
There isn't much to separate the access points at Montrose, Wilson, and Lawrence, and in fact the Wilson and Lawrence points are virtually identical. But although there is parking on Simonds Drive 350 feet away from this crossing, the lack of an actual parking lot so close to the crosswalk and trail just barely edges Lawrence out over Wilson, as I feel like it slightly disincentivizes driving down Lawrence.
46th: Hayes (Street Level)
One crosswalk across an expressway with traffic light signal
Like Coles, this one would be ranked worse if there wasn't a better option nearby. Unlike the signalized parts of Lake Shore Drive downtown, there isn't any risk of backup beyond the crosswalk. It's still a crosswalk across an expressway, but there's a much better option across the street that we'll get to later. There is also a small bit of walking that you still have to do after crossing to get to the pedestrian pathway specifically, although the bike pathway is directly accessible after crossing the crosswalk.
45th: Jeffery (Street Level)
One crosswalk across an expressway exit with traffic light signal
There are two access points at the southern end of Lake Shore Drive; an underpass from the Marquette Drive side, and a crosswalk from the Jeffery Boulevard side. While the crosswalk is markedly less safe because of the lack of grade separation, it does lead directly onto the Lakefront Trail. This is a benefit Hayes does not have, at least for the pedestrian pathway.
44th: 67th Street
Two crosswalks with traffic light signal
This is, essentially, a crosswalk past one last expressway exit before US Route 41 becomes a local road down South Shore Drive. It's also not the most picturesque exit, as the limestone beach and the small semicircular park at the end of 67th Street have been sandbagged off due to high tides and erosion, but it terms of safety it ranks relatively high compared to the other South Shore Drive access points to the south.
43rd: Oakwood Boulevard
Two crosswalks across expressway exit/entrance with stop signs
There is probably more personal bias in my ranking of Oakwood Boulevard than any other access point outside of the top 20. I prefer the overpass above Lake Shore Drive more than the underpass below it more commonly seen on the north side. I like its connection to the Boulevard System, which has a lot of potential to connect the rest of the city to the Lakefront Trail (something I'll cover in a later project). And I think its spot would be solidified even more if the bike lanes leading to the trail were painted green like other lanes across the city.
42nd: LaSalle (Street Level)
One crosswalk across an expressway exit with traffic lights
Originally, I did not include this crossing in my analysis due to it being in such close proximity to the North Avenue underpass and the LaSalle Drive overpass. However, I included it at the last minute (hence the eleven entries here instead of ten) for two reasons. One, proximity didn't prevent me from including the street-level crossings at Hayes/63rd and Jeffery/Marquette. And two, it is very similar to the following street-level crossings at Belmont and Fullerton. This one ranks lower than the other two due to its crosswalk being on the expressway exit side of the street.
41st: Belmont
One crosswalk across an expressway entrance with traffic lights
There are two things I dislike about the entrance points at Belmont, Fullerton, and LaSalle. One, there is only one crosswalk instead of two, and two, they all pass under Lake Shore Drive. I much prefer overpasses to underpasses, even doubly so when they are coupled with having to contend with expressway exit and entrance traffic, specifically because the darkness of the underpasses significantly complicate sightlines as opposed to sunlit overpasses. However, the traffic lights help them rank above crossings like Oakwood and Montrose.
40th: Fullerton
One crosswalk across an expressway entrance with traffic lights
Fullerton ranks ever so slightly better than Belmont on my list. I flip-flopped back and forth between the two, but despite there being a longer walk to the actual trail from Fullerton's crosswalk, you have to cross the entrance to the Belmont Harbor parking lot if you're walking south from Belmont. This additional contention with car traffic ultimately was the final influence on my placements of Fullerton and Belmont's access points.
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The Chicago Lakefront Trail Study: Introduction and the Bottom 8
Chicago's mostly unindustrialized, mostly unobstructed lakefront is arguably the city's most attractive feature. For nearly twenty miles of Chicago's coast, four parks (from North to South: Lincoln Park, Grant Park, Burnham Park, and Jackson Park) keep the lake free and open to the public for swimming, tanning, fishing, and other leisurely activities. These parks are connected by DuSable Lake Shore Drive for cars, and for bikes and pedestrians they are connected by the Lakefront Trail.
From Edgewater on the North Side to South Shore on the South Side, the Lakefront Trail connects over a dozen community areas and neighborhoods to the lake. Crossing from the northern end of Lincoln Park all the way through Jackson Park, the trail parallels Lake Shore Drive for its entire route. However, in order to access the trail and the lakefront as a biker or a pedestrian, you have to cross Lake Shore Drive (or South Shore Drive, south of 67th street) in some fashion. This is difficult because, as it is configured right now, Lake Shore Drive is essentially an expressway.
There are many access points to get to the Lakefront Trail dispersed along the way. Some crossings are as close to one another as a block away (or even less!), and some as spaced out as one and a half miles apart. Some streets even have multiple access points for different crossings. There are many types of crossings; some are grade separated from car traffic (either underpass tunnels or overpass bridges) while others are at-grade street crossings. While some crossings have similarities that make them seem almost identical, each crossing has its own qualities that make it good or bad for pedestrians and bikers to cross. In the next six posts, I've ranked each crossing from worst to best.
58th: 68th Street
One crosswalk, no vehicle stop indicator
While US-41 isn't an expressway during the stretch that runs as South Shore Drive, the stretch between the end of Lake Shore Drive and the complicated 71st Street intersection still has pretty heavy, and oftentimes high-speed vehicle traffic significantly above the posted 30 mph speed limit. This makes it even more egregious that two of the crossings to the Lakefront Trail in this stretch have no indications for vehicles to stop for pedestrians.
57th: 70th Street
Two crosswalks, no vehicle stop indicator
This crossing misses out on last place solely on the benefit of having two crosswalks instead of one. Otherwise, it has the same issues as the crossing two blocks north; relatively high levels of traffic and no indicators for vehicles to stop for pedestrians outside of the often-ignored crosswalks. It's safer to walk or bike a block away from these crossings and use the crossings at 67th, 69th, or 71st Street instead.
56th: Balbo
One crosswalk across an expressway, traffic light signal
This is probably the access point most Chicagoans would expect to rank dead last on this list. The downtown crosswalks across Lake Shore Drive are the bane of many a biker and pedestrians existence. Oftentimes cars will get incredibly backed up at these traffic lights, meaning multiple cars will often be backed up across and even well beyond the crosswalk. As you can see here, this problem is most prominent with northbound traffic at Balbo.
55th: 500 South (Ida B. Wells/Congress)
Two crosswalks across an expressway, traffic light signal
You would think, because there's no exit from Lake Shore Drive here, that many of the issues plaguing these downtown crossings wouldn't be as much of an issue here. However, it makes it much easier for southbound traffic to get backed up here, as there's no vehicle traffic entering Lake Shore Drive to get blocked by the southbound cars as there would be at Balbo, Jackson, or Monroe.
54th: Jackson
One crosswalk across an expressway, traffic light signal
From my experience, Jackson and Monroe experience less issues with vehicles being backed up beyond the crosswalk. Southbound cars would be blocking the entrance/exit to Jackson if they were backed up at the intersection, and my (unsupported, as far as I know) theory is that signals become more efficient for northbound cars the further north you go. However, cars turning onto Lake Shore Drive are still a huge issue for pedestrians and bikers to deal with.
53rd: Monroe
One crosswalk across an expressway, traffic light signal
The "best" of the downtown crossings, all of the above for Jackson applies to Monroe as well. In addition, northbound cars backed up across the intersection would be blocking Monroe Harbor, a small marina which includes the Chicago Yacht Club. This means the city is more incentivized to keep the intersection as clear as possible, as opposed to an intersection like Balbo or Congress.
52nd: Randolph
Two crosswalks across expressway exit, traffic light signal
Compared to the four access points south of Randolph, this is more unpleasant and eerie than it is dangerous. But when you consider the amount of high-speed traffic this DLSD exit sees, especially to get across the crosswalk pictured to access Wacker Drive, it's definitely more dangerous than it appears. There's also the matter of crossing the DLSD entrances as well in order to get to the eastern edge of Maggie Daley Park.
51st: Coles
Two crosswalks, no vehicle stop indicator
There are two reasons why this crossing ranks higher than the bottom two despite its similarities. For one, there's not much reason to use this crossing when there are much more accessible crossings less than a block to the east and west of it. Second, although this is still a part of the US-41 road, it sees both less and slower traffic than the stretch north of 71st Street does. It is, therefore, not much different from your average street crossing.
Click here for Part Two!
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Parenthesis are Profession, State Represented, Age. Professions listed are professions in 2024; Ages listed are ages at the time of the 2028
Bigger, more local projects are coming soon, I just got really hyperfixated on this the day after I got home from New Jersey. Give it a vote, and if you think it's neat or got a chuckle out of it share it on :3
-- THIS IS NOT AN OOFICIAL PROPOSAL, NOR IS IT MEANT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. I HOLD NO AFFILIATION WITH CTA OR ANY TRANSIT ORGANIZATIONS, I’M JUST A SILLY GIRL WRITING SILLY THINGS --
Chicago Cyber Corps Transit Authority
Prologue addendum: Hi! I'm an amateur one-girl think tank from Chicago and this is my first public project! Out of all the public transit systems in America, Chicago is probably the one with the most potential. The bus system covers almost every corner of the city and, frequency issues aside, this makes it a very accessible system for people with disabilities, and people who can't/don't want to drive and/or aren't able to walk/bike long distances. However, the bus system isn't convenient enough for many reasons, including frequency issues and the unpredictability of individual car drivers.
My goals in expanding the L are:
Filling in the gaps of rapid transit throughout the city, in particular the South and Northwest sides
Relieving pressure on transit in the downtown area to transport people throughout the city
Providing rapid transit along and under heavily used main streets
Utilizing existing railway ROW's and former CTA/pre-CTA routes wherever possible
Providing viable rapid transit alternatives to highways and single-passenger cars within the city for both city and suburban residents
Accentuating other business districts throughout the city with more convenient rail connections to nearby neighborhoods and the rest of the CTA network
This project encompasses only one part of transit accessibility, and other things like dedicated busways along other important corridors and safe biking/powerchair lanes should also take just as high a priority. However, I've held a very strong interest in the CTA and making it more accessible to more of the city, and have been working on this project on and off for almost a full decade. Please enjoy what I think is the most comprehensive theoretical CTA L expansion I could've come up with.
CHICAGO CYBER CORPS TRANSIT AGENCY PRESS RELEASE
March 1st, 2026
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In an alternate universe, where climate change, city congestion, and neighborhood livability are priorities of the City of Chicago, the CTA is planning a major expansion of its famous “L” rapid transit system. Using the long-awaited Red Line Expansion and ongoing projects like the Red-Purple Line Modernization as a training grounds of sorts, tons of workers are preparing to fill in many of the rapid transit gaps in the city and expand the greatest subway system in the world deeper into the suburbs. Servicing many malls, town centers, and main roads, CTA hopes to provide faster and easier connections throughout the city as well as foster high-quality neighborhoods and community centers around its stops.
Many of the extensions replace and expand upon long gone lines, like the Kenwood and the North Avenue/Humboldt Park branches. Other extensions serve areas that have never been served by a CTA line before, like Mount Greenwood, Hegewisch, and Montclare. In many of these cases, these extensions serve to de-isolate these neighborhoods from the rest of the city; in some cases, it takes over an hour to take transit between these areas and downtown. At the same time each Chicago neighborhood is unique from each other, and these extensions allow all Chicagoans to take in and embrace these diverse neighborhoods much more easily.
Listed are our plans for a 35-year mass extension of the CTA L system, utilizing a multitude of track levels and transportation right-of-ways (ROWs):
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Phase 0 (Already In Planning) (2024-2029):
Red Line to 130th (95th-Dan Ryan to 130th Street)
New Stops Created: 103rd, 111th, Michigan, 130th
Completion by: Phase 1
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Phase 1 (2027-2037):
Green Line to Dorchester (Cottage Grove to Dorchester)
New Stops Created: University, Dorchester
Completion by: Phase 2
Pink Line to Oak Park Ave. (54th/Cermak to Oak Park Avenue)
New Stops Created: Central, Austin, Ridgeland, Oak Park
Completion by: Phase 2-3
Cyan Line Northwest to Schaumburg (Rosemont to Roselle Road)
New Stops Created: Devon/Higgins, Mannheim Road, Touhy Avenue, Elmhurst Road, Busse Road, Arlington Heights, Golf Road, Meacham Road, Roselle Road
Completion by: Phase 3-4
Double-Track Blue Line + Milwaukee Subway Connector (Forest Park to Rosemont)
New Stops Created: Central, Clinton/Milwaukee, Damen/Western/California Milwaukee Subway, Nagle/Bryn Mawr
Completion by: Phase 3-4
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Phase 2 (2032-2045):
Pink Line to North Riverside Mall (Oak Park Avenue to North Riverside Mall)
New Stops Created: Harlem, North Riverside Mall
Completion by: Phase 3
Cyan Line Northwest to Prairie Stone (Roselle Road to Prairie Stone Metra STAR)
New Stops Created: Barrington Road, Prairie Stone
Completion by: Phase 4
Cyan Line West to Yorktown Mall (Forest Park to Highland Ave/Yorktown)
New Stops Created: 5th Ave, 17th Ave, 25th Ave, Westchester/Mannheim, Wolf Road, York Road, Kingery Hwy, Midwest Road, Meyers Road, Highland Avenue/Yorktown
Completion by: Phase 4-5
Circle Line + Double-Track State Subway + Double-Track Southwest Line (to Ashland)
New Stops Created: 18th/Clark, Cermak/Canal, Cermak/Blue Island, Roosevelt/Paulina, Jackson/Route 66, Madison/Paulina, Grand/Ashland, Chicago/Ashland, North/Elston
Completion by: Phase 4
Third Pair of Milwaukee Tracks (Milwaukee Subway) (Fulton/Milwaukee to Logan Square)
No New Stops Created
Completion by: Phase 4-5
Clinton Street Subway (Halsted-Orange to Fulton/Milwaukee)
New Stops Created: Canalport/18th, Roosevelt, Harrison, Jackson, Madison
Completion by: Phase 4-5
Mid-City Transitway West (Jefferson Park to Ford City)
New Stops Created: Montrose, Irving Park, Addison, Belmont, Diversey, Fullerton, North/Grand, Division, Chicago, Lake, Madison, Harrison, Cermak, 26th, 35th, 47th, Archer, Midway, 67th, Ford City
Completion by: Phase 4
Green Line to Midway (63rd/Ashland to Midway)
New Stops Created: Damen, Western, California, Kedzie, Central Park, Pulaski
Completion by: Phase 4
Brown Line Extension to Jefferson Park (Kimball to Jefferson Park)
New Stops Created: Lawndale, Pulaski, Elston, Cicero
Completion by: Phase 3-4
Yellow Line Extension to Old Orchard (Dempster-Skokie to Old Orchard Road)
New Stops Created: Golf, Old Orchard Road
Completion by: Phase 3-4
-All maps for Phases 0-2 projects can be found here-
Phase 3 (2035-2051):
North/Grand Avenue Line (North/Clybourn to Grand/Harlem)
New Stops Created: North/Elston, Damen/Milwaukee, Western, Humboldt Park, Homan, Pulaski, Grand/Kostner, Cicero, Central, Narragansett, Fullerton/Harlem
Completion by: Phase 5
Belmont Avenue Line (Logan Square to Belmont/Cumberland)
New Stops Created: Belmont/Pulaski, Cicero, Laramie, Central, Austin, Narragansett, Oak Park Avenue, Harlem, Overhill Avenue, Cumberland
Completion by: Phase 5
South Ashland Line (Ashland-Orange to Blue Island Metra)
Converted Stops: 91st/Beverly Hills, 95th/Beverly Hills, 99th/Beverly Hills, 103rd/Beverly Hills, 107th/Beverly Hills, 111th/Morgan Park, 115th/Morgan Park, 119th Street, 123rd Street, Prairie Street, Blue Island/Vermont Street
(New Metra Rock Island District Stations: 111th Street/Monterey Avenue, 119th Street/Marshfield Plaza)
Completion by: Phase 5-Completion Phase 1
Orange Line Branch to Mount Greenwood (Kedzie-Orange to 115th/Kedzie)
New Stops Created: 55th, 63rd, 67th, 71st, 79th, Columbus, 87th, Kedzie/95th, 103rd, 111th, 115th/Merrionette Park
Completion by: Phase 5-Completion Phase 1
Mid-City Transitway South to State Line Road (Ford City to 106th/Indianapolis)
New Stops Created: 79th/Pulaski, Central Park, Kedzie, Western/79th, 87th/Damen, Ashland, Vincennes/Halsted, Holland Road, State/91st, King Drive, 95th/Cottage Grove, Stony Island, Jeffery, Colfax, Commercial, Ewing/100th, 106th/Indianapolis
Completion by: Phase 5-Completion Phase 1
Mid-City Transitway North to Howard (Jefferson Park to Howard)
Metra/CTA Joint Project: Metra Electric Light Rail Local + East Side Extension
Conversion of local and flag stops in city and entire Blue Island and South Chicago branches to Light Rail, while preserving transfers to commuter rail trains to University Park downtown, in Hyde Park, and at Kensington/115th
5000/7000 Descendent: Large, Long-Term Order to accommodate increased service and replace last 3200s in service + accommodate for any early 5000 retirements
New Suburban Design: Futuristic ADA-Compliant Take on 6000 and 2000-series seating designs and paint jobs
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Phase 4 (2038-2056):
Outer Loop (Cermak/Chinatown and Ida B. Wells/Lasalle to Fulton/Clinton)
New Stops Created: Roosevelt/Michigan, Balbo/Michigan, Ida B. Wells/State, Jackson/Michigan, Madison/Michigan, Millennium Station, Grand/Wabash, Grand/LaSalle, Grand/Orleans
Completion by: Completion Phase 1
North Lake Shore Drive Line (Thorndale to Outer Loop)
New Stops Created: Bryn Mawr/LSD, Foster, Lawrence, Montrose, Irving Park, Addison, Belmont, Fullerton, North/LaSalle Drive, Division, Chicago/Michigan, Grand/Michigan
Completion by: Completion Phase 1
Kenwood/Hyde Park Branch + Double Track South Main Line to Indiana (Indiana to 67th/Jeffery)
New Stops Created: Vincennes, Cottage Grove/Drexel, 43rd, 47th, Indian Village/Hyde Park, 53rd Street, 55th Street, 57th Drive, Midway Plaisance, Hayes/Cornell, 67th/Jeffery
Completion by: Completion Phase 1
Skyway Line + Double-Track Dan Ryan Line to 130th (63rd to State Line Road)
New Stops Created: 67th/King Drive, 71st/Cottage Grove, 75th/Woodlawn, 79th/Stony Island, 83rd/Jeffery, 87th/Yates, 93rd/Commercial, 100th/Ewing, 106th/Indianapolis
Completion by: Completion Phase 1
Cyan Line Southeast (130th to Sauk Village)
New Stops Created: Dolton Avenue, Sibley Blvd, 154th Street, River Oaks Drive, 170th Street, Thornton Road, 183rd/186th, Glenwood Lansing, Glenwood Dyer, Joe Orr Road, I-30, Sauk Village STAR
Completion by: Completion Phase 1-2
Cyan Line South (95th to Tinley Park)
New Stops Created: 99th/Halsted, 103rd, 111th, 119th, 127th/Vermont, Thornton Road, Western/Sibley/147th, Kedzie, 159th/US-6/Pulaski, 167th/IL-50, 175th, Ridgeland/Tinley Park, Harlem Avenue/Tinley Park
Completion by: Completion Phase 1-2
-All maps for Phases 3 and 4 can be found here-
Phase 5 (2043-2060):
Beginning with Phase 5, CTA will switch to a letter and number-based route system, with colors remaining to denote common branches between lines or special routes such as the Circle Line and Airport Connector. Please See Future Lines, Routes, and Stops for Further Information.
Stockyards Branch (35/Bronzeville/IIT to Western-Orange)
New Stops Created: Root/Princeton, Exchange/Halsted, Stockyards Industrial Park, 47th, Ashland, Damen/Hoyne
Completion by: Completion Phase 2
Jeffery Branch (67th/Jeffery to 130th)
New Stops Created: 71st, 75th, 79th, 83rd/South Chicago, 87th, 93rd, 95th/Stony Island, 103rd/Stony Island, 111th/Doty, 115th/Doty
Completion by: Completion Phase 2
Stevenson Line (Ashland-Orange to Summit)
New Stops Created: Western, California, Kedzie, Pulaski, Cicero, Central, Harlem/Summit
Completion by: Completion Phase 1-2
Kimball Auxiliary Branch (Belmont to Kimball)
New Stops Created: Addison, Irving Park, Montrose
Completion by: Completion Phase 1
Roscoe-Belmont Connector (Paulina to Pulaski)
New Stops Created: Damen, Western, California/Elston, Kimball
Completion by: Completion Phase 1-2
North Western Branch (Western/Brown to Asbury)
New Stops Created: Foster, Peterson, Devon, Pratt, Touhy
Completion by: Completion Phase 1-2
Cyan Line North (Old Orchard/Skokie to Highland Park Metra)
New Stops Created: Lake Avenue, Willow Road, Dundee Road, County Line Road, Deerfield/Skokie, Deerfield/Central, Green Bay Road
Completion by: Completion Phase 2 at earliest
Cyan Line West Extension to Naperville (Yorktown Center to Naperville Road)
New Stops Created: Finley-Amazon, Finley/Belmont, Lincoln Hwy, Naperville Road
Completion by: Completion Phase 1-2
Cyan Line Southwest (Ford City to Bolingbrook Drive)
New Stops Created: Central/State Road, Narragansett, Harlem, Roberts Road, 88th Avenue, Willow Springs Road, County Line Road, Kingery Hwy, Cass Avenue, Lemont Road, Joliet Road, Bolingbrook Road
Completion Phases 1 (Late 2040’s-2053) and 2 (2053-2060):
Phase 5 into Completion Phase 1: South Ashland Line, Mount Greenwood Line, Mid-City Transitway South, Metra Electric Light Rail
Completion Phase 1: Outer Loop, North Lake Shore Drive Line, Kenwood/Hyde Park Branch, Skyway Line, Kimball Auxiliary Branch
Completion Phases 1 and 2: Cyan Line Southeast, Cyan Line South, Stevenson Line, Roscoe-Belmont Connector, North Western Branch, Cyan Line West Extension
Completion Phase 2 and beyond: Stockyards Branch, Jeffery Line, Cyan Line North, Cyan Line Southwest
Ashland-Ravenswood Line Work: Ashland/Ravenswood Connector (Division to Addison) and North Ravenswood Branch (Montrose to Howard)
Ashland/Ravenswood New Stops: North, Fullerton, Diversey, Belmont
North Ravenswood New Stops: Foster, Peterson, Devon, Pratt, Touhy
Cyan Line West Connector: I-355/290 Line (Joliet Road to Meacham Road)
New Stops Created: 87th Street/Boughton Road, 75th Street, 63rd Street/Hobson Road, Maple Avenue, US-34/Warrenville Road, Finley/Belmont, Finley-Amazon, Butterfield Road, 22nd Street, Roosevelt Road, Madison Street, Crescent/St. Charles, W N Ave, Collins Ave, Army Trail Road, Lake Street, Irving Park Road, Devon Ave, Biesterfield Road, Higgins Road, Golf Road
New Order of Cars (2055-2065) to replace 5000 fleet + Buff Up Suburban Fleet
In Search of Sunrise // Open My Eyes, Rustwater Waves (6/17/24)
I finally woke up early enough to catch a Chicago sunrise with my camera. It helps that it was during a heatwave where being outside at 5 AM was the most bearable the weather would be all day heh
