Traffic Calming Plan Intended to Make Berteau Bike and Pedestrian Friendly
CDOT's Dave Smith presents plan for Berteau Greenway
At a public meeting Thursday evening in the Welles Park Gym, 47th Ward Alderman Ameya Pawar presented the latest version of the Berteau Street “Greenway.” This Greenway will be the first of its kind in the City of Chicago and is expected to calm vehicular traffic on Berteau Street between Clark Street and Lincoln Avenue. The purpose is to make Berteau more bike and pedestrian friendly and establish a major new east/west bike route without hostility to auto traffic.
Alderman Pawar said that this plan was the product of numerous public meetings, direct citizen input, deliberations of his Transportation Advisory Committee and Chicago Department of Transportation studies.
Major features of the plan include a traffic circle at Berteau and Greenview, a left turn lane on Clark at Berteau, removal of stop signs at Berteau and Honore, a “chicane” on Berteau west of Honore, and contra-flow bike lanes on Berteau from Lincoln to Damen and Ashland to Clark. The project is expected to be complete by the end of the year and cost approximately $150,000.00.
The sometimes controversial Berteau Greenway was largely well received by the dozens of people in attendance. Some in attendance voiced concerns that the traffic speed control did not go far enough particularly on the stretch of Berteau between Clark and Greenview.
