Complete Street Design On Cortland Street

The City of Chicago is currently developing plans for a new neighborhood, Lincoln Yards, to accommodate its dynamic population. This area surrounds Cortland Street, which in its current condition cannot adequately support the increase of pedestrian, bicycle, transit and motor traffic that accompany a new community. After an analysis of the existing site, it was found that ambiguous and discontinuous bike lanes, vehicle-centric infrastructure and a lack of green space create an area inaccessible to pedestrians and bikers. These issues are addressed by this project using the Complete Streets design framework between Ashland Avenue and Clybourn Avenue along Cortland Street. Complete Streets allow for an easier transition to the area by bridging the inequity between different modes of transportation to accommodate pedestrian, bicycle, motor, and transit traffic. In the scope of this project, transportation alternatives to personal vehicles are incentivized by clearly marked bike lanes, limiting street parking and modernized bus stops. In addition, planters and extended curbs are implemented to aid in stormwater storage of up to 1 inch of runoff and to create a more attractive space. These proposed designs provide a safer roadway experience and an enhanced sense of community. Ultimately, the design aims to improve the transportation conditions and accommodate an increase of multimodal traffic by redesigning the proposed Lincoln Yards area to better meet the needs of the new neighborhood.