Trail improvements coming to Will County
The Forest Preserve District of Will County is taking steps to enhance several bike trails by next summer throughout the county.
The Operations Committee on Wednesday made several recommendations, all of which are expected to be approved Thursday at its board of commissioners meeting.
The recommended improvements include:
■ Approval of a $402,780 bid to D Construction of Coal City to extend the Plum Creek Green way Trail one mile south toward Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve in Crete Township. This is the second phase of an improvement project that began in 2016, partially funded with an Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant from the state. The first phase included parking, a picnic shelter, latrine and dog park. The Plum Valley Preserve is on Burville Road, east of Illinois Route 394.
■ Approval of an additional $8,700 for more engineering work for the next phase of the Veterans Memorial Trail. This southern portion of the trail will have two components: An east-west trail to be developed along 135th Street connecting the Centennial Trail to the Veterans Memorial Tollway; and a northsouth trail along the Veterans Memorial Tollway (Interstate 355) from 127th Street in Lemont to U.S. Route 6 in New Lenox.
Engineering for this trail segment was initially funded by a $652,200 grant from the Transportation, Community and System Preservation program through the Illinois Department of Transporta- tion with a $163,050 local match fromthe forest preserve district.
The state has more grant funds to increase its contribution to $687,330, which ups the local match to $171,830, increasing the forest preserve’s contribution by an additional $8,700. The grant covers 80 percent of the cost and the forest preserve pays 20 percent, officials said. The total contract amount for design, permitting and project management is now $859,000, officials said.
■ Expanding the existing parking area and adding a latrine at Schneider’s Passage on the Centennial Trail on Romeo Road in Romeo ville. This heavily used trail head does not have adequate parking or restroom facilities, officials said. The district will seek bids for these enhancements, estimated to cost $205,000, which will be partially funded by the village of Romeoville and completed by next summer.
■ Seeking bids for the design and construction of .85 miles of the Normantown Trail from 111th Street to Rockwell Lane, just north of 119th Street in Naperville and Plainfield in northern Will County, with a pedestrian crossing at 111th Street. This trail will ultimately connect the Tallgrass Greenway Trail and Vermont Cemetery to Wolf Creek Preserve and other local trails and facilities in Plainfield. This trail segment is estimated to cost $392,000 and is expected to be completed in July 2019.
■ Moving an existing shelter at Whalon Lake in Naperville to a site along the trail on the north side of the lake and replacing it with a larger one at an estimated cost of $310,000. The committee agreed to seek bids for the project, which is expected to be completed in July.
■ Application for a $122,000 Special Wildlife Grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to continue restoration work at Braidwood Dunes, Savanna Nature Preserve and Sand Ridge Savanna Nature Preserve in Reed and Custer township sin Southern Will County. The district has budgeted $265,000 for a local match in its effort to control invasive species, thin trees and shrubs, and seed local prairie and savanna species.
In other matters, commissioners discussed updating an ordinance to allow for “class one” electric bikes, or e-bikes, on the district’s trails. This type of e-bike travels at a slower speed, officials said.