The Chicago Department of Transportation, as well as numerous community partners, built the Bloomingdale Trail and Park – a multi-use linear park that is the first of its kind in Chicago. The trail and park runs along an unused, elevated rail line along Bloomingdale Avenue from Ashland Ave. to Ridgeway Ave. This 2.7-mile repurposed elevated rail line includes a bike trail, five individual parks and an event space connecting the trail to the city and public transit.
Primera provided electrical engineering and lighting design services, and designed the functional lighting along the bike trail and connecting pedestrian pathways with LED sources. Lighting controls for the entire project were designed by Primera and included wired DMX, wireless DMX, and 0-10V dimming to combine all lighting systems into one. The controls are also capable of remote control by the operating agency to make programming changes or overrides for events.
Primera provided extensive coordination between a specialty lighting designer, project artists, landscape architects and the civil engineer. The electrical engineering of the park side design was provided entirely by Primera and includes new electrical services at strategic open areas connecting to utility infrastructure along the 2.7-mile trail. Underground coordination was a critical element of this project as it spans both elevated bridge structures and repurposed rail line structures.
