CHICAGO —Today, Mayor Brandon Johnson, Ald. Matt Martin, the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, and the Chicago Department of Transportation alongside Friends of Winnslie parkway and NeighborsSpace celebrated the completion of an expansion of Winnslie Parkway in Ravenswood.
The project was supported by $303,000 granted through the City of Chicago’s Open Space Impact Fee program and nearly triples the length of the parkway, adding more than 1,000 feet of green space along the west side of the Ravenswood embankment.
“Investing in green space is an investment in the health and well-being of our neighborhoods,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “The expansion of Winnslie Parkway gives residents a place to gather, spend time outdoors, and connect with one another.
Our administration will continue working with communities across Chicago to create and improve public spaces that make our neighborhoods stronger.”
The expanded section of Winnslie Parkway stretches from Ainslie Avenue to Lawrence Avenue and features native landscaping and custom seating crafted from repurposed railroad limestone and concrete.
The expansion creates additional gathering spaces for neighbors while improving pedestrian access to the transit hub at Lawrence and Ravenswood avenues.
“Winnslie Parkway has long reflected the care and commitment that Ravenswood residents have for their neighborhood,” said47th Ward Ald. Matt Martin. “This expansion builds on that legacy by creating more space for neighbors to gather, improving connections along the corridor and making this part of Ravenswood more welcoming and accessible.
I’m grateful to everyone who worked together to make this expansion possible.”
The Johnson administration’s investment was administered by DPD through the Open Space Impact Fee program, with additional support from the ComEd and Openlands Green Region Program.
“The City is thrilled to support the project as a destination place for residents, commuters, businesses and other users,” saidDPDCommissioner Ciere Boatright.“It advances fundamental, neighborhood planning goals that underscore the importance of greenspace not only for people, but also the environment and wildlife.”
The parkway expansion was made possible in part by a broader CDOT resurfacing and transportation improvement project along N Ravenswood Ave. By converting underused diagonal parking spaces to the corridor’s historic parallel parking layout, the area was able to gain the needed greenspace for a continuous walking trail and new green space.
“The expanded Winnslie Parkway is a beautiful addition to Ravenswood and a reflection of what is possible when community organizations, City departments and local partners work together,” saidCDOT Commissioner William Cheaks Jr. “CDOT is proud to have collaborated on the parkway expansion and delivered safer pedestrian crossings, better bike connections and a more comfortable Ravenswood Avenue that complements the new green space.”
CDOT also installed improvements to make the corridor safer and more accessible for people walking and biking, including raised crosswalks, pedestrian curb extensions, bike-friendly speed humps and a southbound contraflow bike lane.
The bike lane improves connections to the Leland Neighborhood Greenway, the Ravenswood Metra station, and the CTA #9 Ashland bus.
“This parkway represents what Ravenswood does best,” said Mark Weber, President of Friends of Winnslie Parkway. “It shows what’s possible when civic leaders, neighborhood groups, non-profits, and corporate partners like Union Pacific and ComEd join forces with our community.
This expansion provides more green space and a lasting investment in the health of our neighborhood.”
The expansion complements broader corridor improvements led by CDOT, including new bike lanes, raised crosswalks and a curb bump-out along Ravenswood Avenue.
“For decades community groups have adopted sections of this rail corridor and transformed them into gardens and walkways,” said Ben Helphand, Executive Director of NeighborSpace, the urban land trust that has helped facilitate this project. “We share the community’s dream, laid out in the 2019 Ravenswood Industrial Corridor Modernization Plan, of a continuous greenway along miles of the embankment.”
Winnslie Parkway’s roots date back more than 40 years to early greening efforts led by former Ald. Gene Schulter and community advocate Stephen Christy, who drafted the initial concept for the expansion in 2021.