Location
Evanston, IL and Chicago, IL
Client
City of Evanston
Services
Roadway Design
Traffic Engineering
Bike + Pedestrian
Howard Street Streetscape
Sam Schwartz partnered with Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd. on a streetscape concept and design for a 1.5-mile corridor on the border of Evanston and Chicago. This corridor supports a robust commercial district for both communities and serves as a critical connector for travel by all modes. At the east end of the corridor is one of the CTA’s busiest bus and rail hubs, with three train lines and numerous bus routes from both CTA and Pace services converging at the Howard Street Station.
One of the goals of the project was to create a more complete street, providing a better environment for people walking, biking, and taking transit. Sam Schwartz’s role on this project was to provide analysis and design recommendations to determine what enhancement measures were necessary to meet this aim. Our team worked with the transit agencies, the City of Chicago, and the City of Evanston to understand the vision of each governmental stakeholder and the challenges inherent in making all modes work effectively along a single corridor.
Through this coordination, we were able to recommend changes that mutually benefit pedestrians, transit riders, and improve bus operations. The proposed cross-section maintains a bike facility throughout, vastly improving the comfort level of bicycling on this street.