Steven Vance reports on his blog that construction is under way on the Cermak/Blue Island Sustainable Streetscape that he wrote about in 2009. The project, by the Chicago Department of Transportation, aims to create environmentally friendly stretches of roadway on Cermak and Blue Island between Ashland and Western by using recycled materials and incorporating elements that will improve stormwater drainage and reduce temperatures in the summer (the latter by adding trees and reflective pavement). On the Blue Island Avenue section, a bike lane is being built from “smog-eating” concrete (TX Active)—the pavers that make up the lane, as well as the parking lane next to it, contain titanium dioxide, which helps break down pollutants into less harmful compounds. Vance has pictures of the unfinished lane in his post.
