BUCKTOWN — As work continues on the Bloomingdale Trail's Milwaukee Avenue bridge for The 606 project, a free family-friendly event on Saturday will allow locals to check out the construction site and build their own miniature bridge.
In the coming weeks, the Milwaukee Avenue bridge is scheduled to be raised so crews can install arches, according to The 606's "News for Neighbors" update issued Thursday.
The $95 million project, which includes the 2.7-mile Bloomingdale Trail on an elevated old rail line along Bloomingdale Avenue as well as as a series of parks, is scheduled to be complete in June.
The trail will span the Bucktown, Wicker Park, Logan Square and Humboldt Park neighborhoods.
Currently, traffic just north and south of Milwaukee Avenue and Leavitt Street has been reduced to one lane, with crews directing cars and cyclist under the bridge. A sidewalk is maintained for pedestrians.
If you're more intrigued than annoyed by the bridge work, The Trust for Public Land is inviting nature lovers of all ages to a free "Trail Mix" event on Saturday.
Scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Bucktown-Wicker Park Library, 1701 N. Milwaukee Ave., "Bridges: Up, Over, Through and Down," will focus on the 38 bridges and viaducts that span the length of the Bloomingdale Trail.
The 606 project engineers, who are in the process of building, demolishing and even relocating bridges, will explain how bridges work and help attendees to create and engineer their own miniature bridge to take home.
For inspiration, the event will include a short walk to The 606’s Milwaukee Avenue Bridge, just up the street from the library.
All Trail Mix events are free and reservations are available at the606.org/events/.
For more information about the project, visit The606.org.
