IRVING PARK — The new bridge connecting two parks along the North Branch of the Chicago River is set to open this month.
It was originally to open Halloween but this week’s snowfall delayed the grand opening.
“We’re very close to opening it, but we don’t have a new date yet,” said Susan Hofer, a spokesperson for the Chicago department of transportation.
The grand opening will definitely happen before the end of November, she said.
The 312 RiverRun project was first announced by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2017. It’s a single path that stretches for nearly two miles on the Chicago River, from Belmont to Montrose avenues.
The $13 million Riverview Bridge section of the project extends more than 1,000 feet in length and is 16 feet wide. The project was funded through state, federal and local funds.
“It’s the longest pedestrian riverfront bridge in the city, ” Hofer said.
Once it’s open to the public later this month it will let people on foot or bike circumvent major streets by using the new path connecting Clark Park, 3400 N. Rockwell St., and California Park, 3843 N. California Ave.
Further north on the river the reconstruction of the Irving Park Road Bridge is still underway.
That $16.6 million project will offer wider lanes and sidewalks to fit the current dimensions of Irving Park Road to the east and west. It will have a path built under it, connecting Horner Park to the 312 River Run along the west river bank.
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