Why the Delay for Chicago's 35th Street Pedestrian Bridge?

Ten years ago, Chicago held a design competition for pedestrian bridges at five locations on the lakefront. As the projects have languished, so has improved access between neighborhoods like North Kenwood and Oakland to nearby Burnham Park.

2 minute read

May 9, 2014, 10:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Chicago Tribune Architecture Critic Blair Kamin checks in on the progress of the 35th Street Bridge, which crosses South Lake Shore Drive on the Southside of Chicago. The current derelict state of the bridge some big questions, according to Kamin: "Who gets what and when do they get it? Who's first in line for infrastructure that improves the quality of life and who has to wait? Are public works equitably distributed or, as D. Bradford Hunt and Jon B. DeVries concluded last year in their insightful book, 'Planning Chicago,' does politics distort planning?"

The slow pace of the $18.3-million project to rebuild the 35th Street Bridge is a conspicuous reminder of how best laid plans at equitable distribution of public works progress can end up proving that last point. "Ten years ago, there was optimism that these problems would be solved when Chicago held a design competition for pedestrian bridges at five lakefront sites, including North Avenue and 35th, 41st and 43rd Streets on the south shoreline. Residents of the mostly African-American North Kenwood and Oakland neighborhoods anticipated better access to nearby Burnham Park. So did developers building townhomes and apartment blocks in the reviving neighborhoods."

The 35th Street Bridge has, at various moments in time, been slated to begin construction in 2006, 2007…and 2009 and 2010….and again in 2013. Now the target date for completion is 2015.

"Meanwhile, it's unclear if the competition-winning designs for the curving pedestrian bridges at 41st and 43rd Street, by Chicago firm Cordogan Clark & Associates, will ever make the leap from renderings to reality. Designs for those spans are still being refined, and Scales said construction will start in the summer of 2015 'if all goes well.' Don't bet the farm on it."

Thursday, May 8, 2014 in Chicago Tribune

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Aerial view of downtown San Antonio, Texas at night with rotating Tower of the Americas in foreground.

San Antonio and Austin are Fusing Into one Massive Megaregion

The region spanning the two central Texas cities is growing fast, posing challenges for local infrastructure and water supplies.

July 3, 2025 - Governing

White park shuttles with large Zion logo on side and red rock cliffs in background in Zion National Park.

Since Zion's Shuttles Went Electric “The Smog is Gone”

Visitors to Zion National Park can enjoy the canyon via the nation’s first fully electric park shuttle system.

4 hours ago - Reasons to Be Cheerful

Chart of federal transportation funding comparing Biden and Trump administration spending.

Trump Distributing DOT Safety Funds at 1/10 Rate of Biden

Funds for Safe Streets and other transportation safety and equity programs are being held up by administrative reviews and conflicts with the Trump administration’s priorities.

5 hours ago - Transportation for America

Close-up on yellow and black TAXI sign on top of beige car in central Munich, Germany.

German Cities Subsidize Taxis for Women Amid Wave of Violence

Free or low-cost taxi rides can help women navigate cities more safely, but critics say the programs don't address the root causes of violence against women.

6 hours ago - Bloomberg