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155th Street could become more biker friendly

Harvey received a $55,000 grant from the region’s transit agency to begin preliminary studies around an on-street bike lane along the corridor.

By Amethyst J. Davis

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Health

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April 29, 2024

A Google screengrab of 155th Street and Broadway Avenue looking west.

Harvey is hoping to transform a stretch of 155th St. in the downtown area more friendly for the city’s bike enthusiasts in a few years.

In March, the Regional Transit Authority awarded Harvey a $55,000 grant to conduct preliminary engineering for an on-street bike lane along 155th St. between Broadway and Lexington Ave.

The city will also use the funding to improve three pedestrian crosswalks across the 155th St. corridor. To make way for changes, a portion of the street will be repaved.

The RTA’s Access to Transit grant will fully support the first phase of the project, the planning phase which also includes an environmental impact study. The city can apply for phase two funding during the next round of calls, according to an RTA spokesperson.

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The Access to Transit program provides assistance to municipalities to pursue transit-oriented projects, such as bike or pedestrian lanes or filling sidewalk gaps.

In 2022, Harvey received $55,000 for preliminary research around bike lanes and bus shelters along Broadway Ave.

The grants are part of a larger transit-oriented development to transform downtown Harvey.

Author

Amethyst J. Davis

Amethyst J. Davis is responsible for spearheading the growth and development of the HWH, including outlining the editorial trajectory and content. She also produces “The Renaissance Letter,” our biweekly email newsletter, edits content, and fact-checks stories prior to publication. Amethyst was an administrator at New York University before launching her journalism career. She was previously a member of the Sounding Board, the community advisory board for Chicago Public Media, which includes WBEZ Chicago and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Amethyst is a 2023 Leader of a New Chicago award recipient, as recognized by the Field Foundation and MacArthur Foundation. She was named to Forbes 30 Under 30.

In 2022, Amethyst was a Casey Fellow with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Black News & Views. She is a sought after speaker on community journalism and has given talks at institutions like DePaul University and the University of Kansas. Amethyst is a regular guest on City Cast Chicago.

She was invited by Harvard University to submit a 2023 and 2024 Nieman Lab prediction. Under her leadership, the HWH has become one of the nation’s most-watched hyperlocal newsrooms. The HWH has received national coverage in publications like Poynter, Harvard University’s Nieman Lab, the National Press Journalism Club Institute, and Editor & Publisher.

A Harvey native, Amethyst is a Brooks Middle School (’11) and Thornton Township High School alum (‘15) and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from NYU (BA’19). She is an alumna of the Data and Policy Summer Scholar program at the University of Chicago.