Scattered throughout Chicago are dozens of elevated train tracks, the legacy of a formerly vibrant form of transportation. One of these abandoned lines stretches for three miles across Chicago, through gentrified neighborhoods on the east, and communities that are struggling economically and socially on the west. Presently, the trail is crumbling and overgrown and is a magnet for gang activity. The embankment also serves as a canvas for vibrant murals and spontaneous works of art. A group called Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail is working with the city and community members to create an elevated, multiuse park and trail that will connect these varied neighborhoods and create much-needed open space. But this dream is still many years and millions of dollars away. All photos taken in 2006.
1. FRIENDS OF THE BLOOMINGDALE TRAIL IS OCCASIONALLY GRANTED PERMISSION FROM CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY, THE CURRENT OWNER OF THE RIGHT-OF-WAY, TO GIVE TOURS OF SECTIONS OF THE TRAIL. ANYONE WHO CLIMBS ONTO THE EMBANKMENT WITHOUT PERMISSION IS TRESPASSING.
2. RICH VEGETATION HAS GROWN OVER THE TRACKS SINCE THE EARLY 1990S WHEN ACTIVE RAIL USE WAS DISCONTINUED. NEIGHBORS OF THE TRAIL HAVE DELIBERATELY PLANTED DECORATIVE PLANTS, MAINLY ON THE EASTERN END.
3. THE BLOOMINGDALE LINE RUNS UNDERNEATH THE BLUE LINE ONE OF CHICAGO’S FAMOUS ELEVATED PASSENGER TRAINS. IF MADE INTO A BIKING TRAIL, THE BLOOMINGDALE TRAIL WOULD SERVE AS AN IMPORTANT TRANSPORTATION LINK. THIRTY-EIGHT VIADUCTS WERE BUILT IN TO ACCOMMODATE CROSS TRAFFIC ON THE STREET GRID, MANY OF WHICH COULD SERVE AS ACCESS POINTS
4. THE TRAIL DIRECTLY ABUTS FIVE SCHOOL GROUNDS AND A YMCA. THE TRAIL COULD BECOME A SAFE WAY FOR CHILDREN TO WALK TO SCHOOL, AS WELL AS PROVIDING MUCH NEEDED GREEN SPACE TO NEARBY NEIGHBORHOODS.
5. THE BLOOMINGDALE LINE WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT IN 1873, THEN ELEVATED IN THE 1910S TO REDUCE DANGEROUS AT-GRADE CROSSINGS. THE STEEL REINFORCED CONCRETE INFRASTRUCTURE IS BADLY DETERIORATED IN SOME PLACES AND WOULD REQUIRE MASSIVE RECONSTRUCTION BEFORE BEING OPENED TO THE PUBLIC.
6. THE EMBANKMENT SERVES AS A THREE-MILE LONG, 15-FOOT HIGH CANVAS FOR ARTISTS IN LOCAL SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS. PRESERVING THE MURALS WILL BECOME AN ISSUE AS THE CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE IS REINFORCED OR REPLACED.
7. COMMUNITY MEMBERS STAKE THEIR CLAIM ON THE TRAIL IN A VARIETY OF WAYS, FROM BUILDING SHRINES TO WEEDING AND HAULING OUT GARBAGE.
8. SOME PARTS OF THE WESTERN END OF THE TRAIL ARE COVERED WITH TRASH AND THE EVIDENCE OF TENTS AND CAMPFIRES.
9. WITHOUT A PROPER TRAIL AND ACCESS POINTS, VERY FEW PEOPLE ARE AWARE THAT A LUSH, GREEN ENVIRONMENT EXISTS JUST OVERHEAD.
10. THE TRACKS ARE STILL USED TO TEMPORARILY STORE FREIGHT AND PASSENGER TRAINS AT THE WESTERN-MOST END OF THE TRAIL. THE FUTURE OF THE TRAIL REMAINS UNCERTAIN, BUT WITH SUPPORT FROM THE CITY AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS, THERE IS HOPE THAT IT WILL EVENTUALLY BE TRANSFORMED INTO A USABLE PUBLIC SPACE.
