Grant Park Skate Park & Roosevelt Road Protected Bike Lane Construction Commences

Construction begins on Roosevelt and Skate Park @ Grant Park

The Chicago Tribune provides the update:

Construction on a 3-acre skate park in Grant Park begins this week as city lawmakers consider granting the project $2.5 million in tax increment financing assistance. 

The skate park, near Michigan Avenue and the 11th Street pedestrian bridge, will replace a modest skate area built eight years ago. The new space will feature a variety of elements, including structures like ramps, rails and stairs, three viewing platforms, art space, an amphitheater and landscape gardens.

Not surprisingly it appears that the proposed protected bike lane on Roosevelt is also moving forward judging by the picture above and this paragraph in the Tribune article:

Separately, construction also will soon begin along Roosevelt Road, between State Street and Columbus Drive, to widen sidewalks and create a buffer of trees between bike and car lanes, integrating the nearby CTA station with Grant Park, Soldier Field, Northerly Island and the Museum Campus.

Both of these projects are pretty interesting and should be interesting improvements to the neighborhood.  Roosevelt will apparetnly soon look like this:

For more background check out some of these older posts on the topics (skate park, roosevelt bike lane).

(Hat tip:  RC and OI!)