Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park View Full Caption

WICKER PARK — New bicycle lanes are coming to the heart of Wicker Park as part of a pilot program to make Milwaukee Avenue safer for those on two wheels — or two feet — to travel through the congested corridor.

The project will also reduce the speed limit through the heart of Wicker Park to 20 mph from 25 mph to make the Wicker Park and Bucktown thoroughfare safer for the thousands of cyclists, pedestrians and drivers who rely on the congested corridor, officials said.

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Work is set to start next week on the dashed bicycle lanes along Milwaukee Avenue from Division Street to Western Avenue, and should take no more than two weeks to complete, said Mike Claffey, a spokesman for the Chicago Department of Transportation.

Plans for the dashed bicycle lanes were added to the pilot program based on the feedback gathered at a July community meeting, Claffey said.



[Chicago Department of Transportation]

The project will also remove two right-turn "slip lanes" used by car drivers at the southwest corner of the Milwaukee and Damen intersection and at Ashland and Milwaukee Avenue; eliminate 32 parking spaces; and remove two bus stops.

In addition, the length of crosswalks will be shortened with the construction of "bump outs" in an effort to help pedestrians cross safely by slowing down turning cars and preventing illegal parking in the crosswalk.

The bicycle lanes will be marked with dashed lines, which are designed to encourage "drivers to position themselves closer to the centerline of the street," officials said. Drivers can use the dashed bike lane when needed, and operators of large vehicles such as trucks and buses are expected to use the dashed bike lane whenever traveling on Milwaukee Avenue, officials said.

Chicago transportation officials will monitor the effectiveness of the dashed bike lane, officials said.

The project will cost $235,000, and by paid for with revenue from the Divvy bicycle-sharing program.

The work was first reported by StreetsBlog Chicago.