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2005 |
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Next Metra Stop: Friendlytown! Health and Safety En Route to School Suburb's Streets Resound Briefly with Laughter, Joy Chicago Now Designated "Bike Friendly" |
PROFILE: Luann Hamilton With a bachelor’s degree in geography from DePaul University and a master’s in geography (with an emphasis in urban studies) from Penn State University, plus 20 years’ experience at the Chicago Department of Transportation, Luann Hamilton is well-qualified to be deputy commissioner of CDOT’s newly-created Division of Project Development.
The new division is designed so that all CDOT programs are initiated through one office and programs can support one another efficiently. The Capital Programming and Planning, and the Maps and Plats sections are joined by this new section, bringing together Streetscapes, Sidewalks and the Bike Program. In addition to this office, Luann is also the newly-appointed co-chair of the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Council. People who worked on bike issues in the past were in three different bureaus but will now be together in one place. The Bike Program covers bike parking, bike lane design, a new bike route signage program, the Bike 2015 plan and Mayor Daley’s Bicycling Ambassadors. Luann’s staff seeks grant money for all types of projects, including a long-range planner working on the Chicago Trails Plan and the South Lakefront Access Study, and the streetscape architects who oversee big structural projects for cyclists and pedestrians. Here are some of the projects that Luann has spearheaded: The Valley Line Bike Trail — In development along a Commonwealth Edison right-of-way in Sauganash, extending from Devon Avenue to Bryn Mawr Avenue west of Pulaski Road. The trail is now in the advanced engineering stage. The Lincoln/Peterson Underbridge — This project, currently under construction, will complete an off-road trail from Green Bay Road in Evanston almost to Lawrence Avenue (4800 north in Chicago). The Navy Pier Fly-Over is in the planning stage although funding has not yet been fully secured. The Burnham Greenway — An off-road trail that will run from Calumet Park at 100th Street and the Lakefront south to Munster, Ind. The segment between 100th Street and 104th Street recently opened and the remainder is under development. Major Taylor Trail — Extends from the Dan Ryan Woods Forest Preserves at about 81st Street and S. Oakley Avenue eventually to the Whistler Forest Preserve in Riverdale. The trail is completed and will be turned over to the Chicago Park District later this year. Along with everything else going on in this new division, a revision of the 1997 “Chicago Trails Plan” is underway, providing new opportunities for trail development. In 1997 there were 29 corridors in the planning stage. In 2004, there were 41 under consideration. Trail-planning is a small part of Luann’s responsibility. Bicycle riders and pedestrians throughout Chicagoland are indebted to Luann for the many exciting projects that continue to keep Chicago the best cycling and walking city in the U.S.
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