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Cortland Bridge Closure a Headache for Drivers, Boon to Bikers, Joggers

By Alisa Hauser | July 9, 2015 3:48pm
 Bikers and pedestrians are enjoying the car free Cortland Street, not scheduled to reopen until Nov. 1.
Cortland Street, between Elston and Kingsbury, Closed to Cars
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BUCKTOWN — A popular shortcut along an industrial corridor that borders Logan Square, Bucktown and Lincoln Park has been closed since June due to bridge repairs, creating traffic headaches for rerouted drivers and CTA bus passengers.

But for bikers, walkers and joggers, Cortland Street — still open since one side of the bridge's sidewalk remains accessible to pedestrians — has become a car-free parkway.

"Definitely people seem to like no cars here. It's like a park. The bikers are loving it. The Divvys are everywhere," said Keith Sullivan,  a retired Chicago cop who works as a security guard for the owners of the former A. Finkl & Sons steel plant, which is being demolished.

Keith Sullivan in front of the iconic A. Fink & Son's steel arches. (All photos by DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser)

About one-third of a mile of Cortland Street, from Elston Avenue to the west and Kingsbury Street to the east, is closed to cars until Nov. 1, CDOT said. The bridge repair work is being covered by funds from the Tax Increment Financing district.

Designated as a Chicago Landmark in 1991, the Cortland Street Drawbridge runs through the former Finkl plant, which is undergoing a massive redevelopment where transportation issues are emerging as the most pressing focus.

When Finkl's buildings were still standing, there were more security problems with people trying to steal copper but now that the site has been reduced to mostly rubble, Sullivan said his biggest issues are tourists peeking through the construction fences and "nosy reporters" taking pictures.

Sullivan said he has not had a chance to check out the nearby Bloomingdale Trail, which ends a few blocks west of the bridge, at the intersection of Ashland and Bloomingdale avenues.

Several Logan Square and Bucktown residents who commute Downtown by bike have been taking the Bloomingdale Trail as far as it goes, and then crossing over the Chicago River via Cortland Street to go east.

The idea to extend the 2.7-mile long trail over the north branch of the Chicago River has long been floated but is currently "a long term vision," Beth White, executive director of the Trust for Public Land, the city's leading private partner in the 606 project, previously said.

Here are some photos taken along car-free Cortland Street on Wednesday:

A jogger and dog just east of the closed Cortland Street bridge.

A biker traveling on Cortland Street.

Pedestrians on Cortland Street, just east of the Chicago River.

Pedestrians on Cortland Street, just east of the Chicago River.

Cortland Drawbridge, undergoing repairs, July 8, 2015.

Traffic headed west over the Cortland Bridge during rush hour in May, before the bridge closed to cars.

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