KENWOOD — City crews will demolish the pedestrian bridge from 43rd Street to the lakefront starting late Wednesday night as they prepare to replace the 80-year-old overpass with an accessible bridge.
Lake Shore Drive will be closed from Oakwood Boulevard to 47th Street from 11 p.m. Wednesday until 5 a.m. Thursday as workers demolish the bridge, the Chicago Department of Transportation announced.
Drivers will be rerouted to Cottage Grove Avenue and are encouraged to take alternate routes like the Dan Ryan Expressway during the closure, city officials said.
Work began in November to replace the old 43rd Street bridge, which is not accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act. A Burnham Park playlot near the overpass will also be replaced as part of the project.
The new overpass, with a curvy design similar to the one completed at 41st Street in 2018, will allow wheelchair users, bicyclists and emergency vehicles to cross Lake Shore Drive and the adjacent railroad tracks. It’s expected to open by late 2022.
Kenwood residents and visitors can use the 41st Street overpass or the 47th Street underpass and bridge to access Burnham Park and the Lakefront Trail during construction.
The 43rd Street overpass is the fourth of five planned bridge projects to improve access to the south lakefront. The final project, to rebuild the vehicular bridge over the railroad tracks at 31st Street, is scheduled to begin in late 2021.
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