CHICAGO AVE STREETSCAPE, SECTION 1

Chicago Ave Corridor Improvements Project, also known as the Soul City Corridor, is in the Austin neighborhood along Chicago Ave from Austin Blvd to Cicero Ave. The vision for the corridor was outlined by the Soul City Corridor Development Framework Plan. Rooted in a distinct cultural identity of Black art, music, food, and entertainment, “Soul City” is a new identity for the Chicago Avenue Corridor that sets the tone and expectation for vibrancy and experience. It is a unifying theme for future economic development and supports existing business owners. Importantly, it recognizes the corridor as a gateway to Chicago. During public outreach, the community expressed the need to improve pedestrian experience and safety, landscaping, outside seating, and transit amenities along the corridor. The project presents an opportunity to increase safety by narrowing the existing travel lanes to calm traffic, and improve walkability by widening sidewalks. Pedestrian safety will be increased by installing curb extensions at intersections which will shorten crossing times and improve visibility between pedestrians and motorists. Raised crosswalks will be installed at side streets to help slow down traffic turning onto local residential streets. The parkways will be widened to allow for the planting of street trees and for business to open outdoor café seating. Transit amenities will be improved by installing bus bulbs to create dedicated space for transit passengers to wait. Bike lanes will be installed to make bicycling safer and more convenient.