Community invited to weigh in on design plans for Chicago's Bronzeville Trail

City leaders on Wednesday were asking the public to help design the future Bronzeville Trail.

The campaign to build the Bronzeville Trail began in 2022, and was quick to garner support and funds. The goal is to build an elevated green space on the Kenwood embankment — the old right-of-way for the old Kenwood Branch Chicago Transit Authority 'L' line.

The Kenwood 'L' line once ran from the Indiana Avenue stop on what is now the Green Line to 42nd Place and Oakenwald Avenue — sharing tracks with the Chicago Junction Railway. It provided a link between Bronzeville and both the Loop and the Union Stock Yards.

But 'L' trains have not run on the Kenwood line since 1957, and Chicago Junction Railway freight trains have not run on the tracks in decades either. The overhead street crossings are long gone, but much of the concrete embankment remains — abandoned and overgrown.

On Wednesday night, a community dinner will be held at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. College Preparatory High School, 4455 S. Drexel Blvd. At the dinner, people can weigh in on amenities, access ramps, and other general improvements for the Bronzeville Trail.

The Chicago Department of Planning and Development will host the dinner.