Proposed view of Milwaukee Avenue Bridge and Overlook Stair. (Courtesy Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates)

Last night, updated plans for Chicago’s Bloomingdale Trail were presented at a public meeting—the public session’s last chance to comment on the design before final plans are presented this December. The trail is an elevated linear park designed by a team including Collins Engineers, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, and Frances Whitehead on a former rail viaduct running through Chicago.

AN contributor and sustainable transit enthusiast Steven Vance attended the meeting at the Humboldt Park Field House, recapping the event on the GRID Chicago blog. Among the details confirmed at the meeting, construction is set to begin summer 2013. While the trail will open for bikers and pedestrians in Fall 2014, landscaping and art installations will continue into 2015.

Churchill Field Park and Arts Plaza. (Courtesy Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates)

Plans put the elevated linear park into sharper focus, revealing exactly how pedestrians and cyclists can enter the trail at various points accentuated with parks, plazas, and public art. The viaduct will be recontoured to connect with the street and provide a dynamic experience throughout the park. You can download a PDF of the full presentation here, which includes some nearly finalized designs and plans for the long-anticipated rails-to-trails park system. Click on a thumbnail below to launch the slideshow.