Completion of the Navy Pier Flyover will be delayed — again.
The project began in 2014 and was originally slated for completion in 2018; then the middle of 2019; then the end of 2019.
The target date was again pushed back Thursday to late spring of 2020, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation.
The project has drawn repeated criticism for taking longer to build than the Golden Gate Bridge (four years).
The reason for the latest delay? Engineers decided, for safety reasons, that repairs to the Lake Shore Drive bridge should be completed before adding a new platform to the east side of the bridge that will eventually accommodate bikes and pedestrians.
This platform, which will run through two bridge houses and replace the narrow sidewalk that have been in use for years, is the last piece of the puzzle.
Work on it is scheduled to begin late this year and end in early spring.
As this work is being completed, pedestrians and cyclists will use a lane of the Lower Lake Shore Drive bridge that’s normally used by cars. Concrete barriers will be put in place to separate people from cars.
It’s not all bad.
The Navy Pier Flyover has for months provided a much improved experience by carrying users over Grand and Illinois streets, eliminating the street-level crossings.
