Chicago Unveils Plans for the Elevated Bloomingdale Trail Park in the Sky

Chicago is set to get its own <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/designs-unveiled-for-the-final-section-of-the-high-line/">High Line park</a>, and <a href="http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2012/03/city-officials-reveal-new-concepts-for-bloomingdale-trail-.html" target="_blank">city officials recently unveiled</a> the proposed concepts for the new <a href="http://www.bloomingdaletrail.org/" target="_blank">Bloomingdale Trail</a>. The nearly three-mile long trail and park would be built upon an abandoned elevated rail line in the northwest part of the city that would help connect other parks throughout the area. The design team, which is led by <a href="http://www.arup.com/" target="_blank">ARUP</a>, with the help of <a href="http://www.r-barc.com/" target="_blank">Ross Barney Architects</a> and <a href="http://www.mvvainc.com/archive" target="_blank">Michael van Valkenburgh Associates</a>, has crafted a multi-use park for bikers and pedestrians with a number of other amenities like public art, seating, play areas, and more. The project is expected to cost between $50 and $70 million with construction to start hopefully in 2013.

The Bloomingdale rail line once served as an important transport corridor, but was then abandoned in the early 1990s.

Since the late '90s, the idea has been floating around to convert the elevated rail line into a public park, and the idea is also in line with Burnham's vision to create a network of interconnected parks.

The <a href="http://www.bloomingdaletrail.org/index.html" target="_blank">Bloomingdale Trail and Park</a> has been in the works for many years now, but significant progress has recently been made and the concept plans were revealed by the city on March 8th.

Designed by <a href="http://www.arup.com/" target="_blank">ARUP</a> with the help of <a href="http://www.r-barc.com/" target="_blank">Ross Barney Architects</a> and <a href="http://www.mvvainc.com/archive" target="_blank">Michael van Valkenburgh Associates</a>, the elevated trail and park will be 2.7 miles long and will feature bike and pedestrian paths.

The gently curving trail will allow bikers to go up to 20 mph, and separate paths will be available for pedestrians.

Design charrettes to determine how the space should be used.

What is not used by paths will be available for public art, lighting, play areas, seating, and vegetation.

The landscaping will encourage new wildlife to converge in the city and will contribute to an improved environmental quality (i.e. fresh air, stormwater infiltration).

The design team is proposing 8 access points along the path spaced at about 1/2 mile apart.

In the beginning, the rail line was built to keep people off of it, but not the line will encourage access via sloping parks.

The design team is still working out the details, especially with regards to privacy for neighbors of the park and safety issues, but they hope to begin construction in 2013 with parts of the park open by 2014.

The multiphase project is expected to cost about $70 million when its all said and done, but the first phase should cost about $46 million.

To date, the city has collected $37 million in federal anti-congestion and air-quality funding and <a href="http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2012/03/emanuel-touts-citywide-park-plan-announces-7-million-in-sponsorships-for-bloomingdale-trail-.html" target="_blank">7 more was donated</a> through private funding.