Part of Milwaukee Avenue closed for Bloomingdale Trail work

Sun-Times Media Wire

A part of Milwaukee Avenue in the West Town neighborhood will be closed this weekend for the second phase of bridge improvement work in the Bloomingdale Trail construction project.

Milwaukee Avenue between Leavitt and Oakley/Moffat avenues will be closed to all traffic starting 8 p.m. Friday, according to a statement from the Chicago Department of Transportation.

All traffic, including the No. 56 Milwaukee bus, will be rerouted west to Western Avenue through North and Armitage avenues, the department said. The viaduct at Winnebago Avenue will also be closed, so pedestrians will be directed to go east from that location to Wilmot Avenue.

Crews will be performing demolition work as part of a project that will eventually create a new bridge featuring an arch design. The new bridge will use recycled steel and will be one of the highlights of the Bloomingdale Trail Project, a centerpiece of the 606 park and trail system that will connect several neighborhoods.

The new bridge at Milwaukee and Bloomingdale avenues will also address several traffic problems at the intersection, including vertical clearance issues and narrow lanes that hamper drivers and cyclists, the statement said.

Milwaukee Avenue will be reopened by 5 a.m. Monday, the statement said.