Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (second from left) leads a tour of the new South Side pedestrian bridge. (Photo courtesy of the Chicago Department of Transportation and Chicago Park Disrict)

A 1,470-foot-long span now is available to carry pedestrians over South Lake Shore Drive and the railroad tracks at 41^st Street in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood.

The S-shaped span, constructed by the Chicago Department of Transportation for the Chicago Park District, will improve lakefront access of the South Side of the city. It is Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible with ramps to accommodate bicycles, wheelchairs and emergency vehicles.

“For far too long, residents of this community could see the lakefront but they couldn’t easily reach it,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Dec. 20. “This new bridge connects Bronzeville residents to our lakefront and the new 41^st Street Beach and it builds on the great energy we are seeing thanks to the investment that we have made in this community.”

Increasing access to the lakefront is a key goal of “Building on Burnham,” Emanuel’s plan to invest in the lakefront, the Chicago River and natural areas in neighborhoods through the city.

The 41^st Street project is the second of five bridge projects announced by Emanuel to improve access to the lakefront on the city’s South Side. A new suspension bridge for pedestrians and bikes at 35^th Street opened in 2016. It replaced an outmoded, non-ADA-accessible pedestrian bridge.

A third project, starting next year, will feature the deteriorated and non-ADA-compliant pedestrian bridge at 43^rd Street. It features a similar design as the 41^st Street Bridge. Both spans are designed by AECOM with Cordogan, Clark & Associates. The inclined arch mono-truss structures support large S-curves that echo the curves of the walkways in Burnham Park, named for planner Daniel Burnham.

“A second beautiful, modern pedestrian bridge in the 4^th Ward underscores the significant strides we are making to ensure all residents have convenient and ADA-compliant access to the lakefront,” said Ald. Sophia King (4^th Ward). “Similar to the recently opened pedestrian bridge at 35^th Street, this bridge is an investment in our community stimulating job growth and recreational opportunities.”

In addition, a vehicular bridge over the railroad tracks at Oakwood Boulevard/39th Street is under reconstruction and scheduled for completion in mid-2019. Plans are being finalized for a fifth project to replace the bridge over the railroad tracks at 31st Street, scheduled to begin next year.

“The 41^st Street Pedestrian and Bike Bridge is another example of the city of Chicago, state of Illinois and federal government working together with leadership from Mayor Rahm Emanuel to make something good happen for the city of Chicago,” said U.S. Congressman Danny K. Davis (D-Chicago).

“I was proud to support the federal TIGER grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation that helped provide the funding for the 41st Street Pedestrian and Bike Bridge,” U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said. “This is another good example of investment in community infrastructure projects and I thank Mayor Emanuel for his partnership and leadership in these efforts.”

“Investing in our infrastructure creates jobs, drives economic growth and makes Chicago an even better place to call home,” said U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth. “I’m glad to see this new pedestrian bridge will be fully accessible for people with disabilities, and I’ll continue working to secure federal resources for projects like these that modernize our transportation infrastructure throughout the state.”

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The $33 million 41^st Street project was supported by an $18.7 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Additional funding comes from other federal and state sources. The prime contractor is FH Paschen; and the construction manager was Transystems.

“CDOT is thrilled to cut the ribbon for this new bridge that will greatly improve access to Chicago’s lakefront for people of all ages and levels of mobility, whether they are walking, biking, in wheelchairs or pushing strollers,” CDOT Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld said. “We’d like to thank our federal and state partners for supporting this project and our larger goal of building a new Chicago for the 21^st century.”

The bridge design was developed in coordination with the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Housing Authority. It will directly connect Lake Park Crescent, 348 new units of mixed-income housing created through CHA’s Plan for Transformation, and its neighboring park with the Oakwood/41st Street Beach, recently created as part of the Lake Michigan shoreline revetment reconstruction.

“Chicago’s lakefront is among our city’s most valuable gems,” said Chicago Park District General Superintendent Mike Kelly. “For generations, the residents of Bronzeville who live a stone’s throw away from the lake, did not have direct access. The completion of the 41^st  Street Bridge connects the children and families of this neighborhood to the lake, encourages walking, biking and other physical activity and strengthens the community.”

Recent Bronzeville growth has included the opening of the 35^th Street Bridge, a Mariano’s grocery store, the Ellis Park Arts and Recreation Center, a new field house at Williams Park, upgrades to the Chicago Bee library branch and the Parade of Homes housing initiative.

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