The Burnham Park expansion is wrapping up, but while a new beach and new landfill have turned a sliver of a park into something much more buxom, there remains an acute problem of access. It may be easier to ride you bike down from the Loop than it is to cross over on foot from parts of North Kenwood and Oakland. Blair Kamin discusses the issue in this morning's Tribune, showing how insufficient pedestrian bridges are seriously irking South Side residents and developers. Even though park-adjacent areas have great real estate potential, they remain static as they await long-promised lake access at 41st and 43rd. Instead of hurrying these projects along (which have already been rendered), the city is sinking scarce funds into a bridge replacement at 35th. The 1973 Lakefront Protection Ordinance calls for pedestrian crossings every quarter-mile. Intervals on the South Side are generally between a half-mile and mile. [Trib]
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