Chicago’s favorite front yard is getting a glow-up. The Chicago Park District has announced that the 18-mile Lakefront Trail — the beloved ribbon of separated bike and pedestrian paths that hugs Lake Michigan — will receive a full refresh this fall, with repairs rolling out section by section over the coming months.
The work follows a complete inspection of the trail and the hardscape along its entire 18 miles. Crews will patch and seal-coat asphalt where needed, repaint trail graphics and lines along the whole route, and remove and replace deteriorated concrete at the trail’s edges. The project starts at the south end, near 6300 South just east of DuSable Lake Shore Drive, and moves north one stretch at a time until it reaches Foster Avenue Beach.
For walkers, runners and cyclists, it is happy news: smoother pavement and clearer markings on the path that links the city’s beaches, harbors, museums and neighborhoods, with the lake on one side and the skyline on the other. The Park District asks everyone to keep an eye out for signage and active work zones as the crews move along — a small bit of patience for a trail restored to peak condition, ready for many more sunrise rides and evening strolls.
Photo: Chris Rycroft / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
