It runs alongside the sidewalk and is better protected from traffic than traditional bike lanes.
The first protected lane is on Kinzie Street, connecting two of the city's busiest bicycle corridors, Wells Street and Milwaukee Avenue.
"I'm glad that Chicago will go from being in the middle of the pack as a city as it related to bike lanes to leading the pack and other cities," said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "And planners will come to our city and see what the future holds to make an integrated approach to transportation."
Mayor Emanuel wants to add 100 miles of protected bike lanes over the next four years.
