As part of the DuPage County Regional Bikeway Plan, the DuPage County Regional Commission produces a map of existing and proposed bikeways in DuPage County. See Countywide Bikeways Map. Bikeways include local and regional multi-purpose off-road trails and paths. The purpose of establishing bikeways in DuPage is to improve non-motorized travel in the County, as well as provide recreational and health benefits that maintain the high quality of life we enjoy in DuPage. Many of the existing bikeways are off-road trails like the Great Western Trail and the Illinois Prairie Path. Other bikeway areas are located along neighborhood streets, in municipal parks, and county forest preserves. In total, DuPage County has 462 miles of routes, trail and paths, and lanes for bicycle and pedestrian travel. Several regional trails are in development and are discussed separately below.
Since 1996, the countywide bikeway plan for DuPage County has shown a conceptual trail across the southern portion of DuPage which would create a link between Aurora on the west side of the county and Hinsdale and Burr Ridge on the eastern side. In 2001 DuPage County executed an agreement with TranSystems Corporation to further study this trail's potential and produce a feasibility study to identify a route. The study was approved by the DuPage County Board's Environmental Committee and Transportation Committee and implementation is underway.
This effort represents the largest new trail initiative by the County in the last ten years (since the Great Western Trail was initiated in the mid-1980s). The Southern DuPage Regional Trail includes the following major features:
* Creates a 46-mile regional trail utilizing and linking to existing and proposed off-road trails and bikeways in several communities and the DuPage County Forest Preserve District
* Proposes construction of 24 miles of improvements to create the regional trail
* Contains a mixture of bikeway facility types including off-road paths (similar, for example, to the Illinois Prairie Path), on-street designated bicycle lanes, and on-street signed bicycle routes (provided through roadway shoulder improvements).
* Includes a main stem trail running from Aurora to Woodridge which then branches into 3 spurs in Woodridge including a main stem traveling a northern route, the Greene Valley Spur and the Waterfall Glen Spur.
* Connects the 11 communities of Aurora; Naperville; Woodridge; Darien; Bolingbrook; Downers Grove; Westmont; Clarendon Hills; Willowbrook; Burr Ridge; Hinsdale and unincorporated areas of Naperville, Lisle, and Downers Grove Townships.
Project Cost The preliminary estimated total project cost for new construction to complete this trail is $8.8 million including design and construction engineering. Funding sources are being identified to complete implementation of the trail however federal grants totaling approximately $2 million have been committed to the project thus far.
Current Status Approximately 80% of the trail is completed to date. Recently completed are segments along Clarendon Hills Road and 91st Street. Construction is nearing completion for old Hobson Road in Woodridge and the 59th Street in the Downers Grove area. Engineering is underway on the final remaining segment along Madison Street in Willowbrook and Hinsdale to complete the trail.
For more detailed information on this project during construction, see the Division of Transportation's construction progress website at http://www.dupageco.org/dot/construction/index.cfm?doc_id=102. For other updates, check the "What's New" section on this website.
This is a multi-jurisdictional project being implemented by affected communities, park districts, townships, the DuPage County Forest Preserve District, and the DuPage County Division of Transportation.
For a free copy of the Southern DuPage County Trail Guide, email your mailing address dfagan@dupageco.org or call 630-407-6883 to have one mailed to you or click on this link for the on-line copy - Southern Trail GuideSouthern Trail Guide-2 (side 1 and side 2)
Further Information For further information on this project, please contact Deborah Jan Fagan, DuPage County Trail System Coordinator, at (630)-407-6883 or email dfagan@dupageco.org.
DuPage County Department of Economic Development and Planning and the County Division of Transportation have released an Executive Summary of the East Branch DuPage River Greenway Trail Feasibility Study. The Executive Summary includes a map and overview of the proposed 31-mile bikeway which will originate in Bloomingdale and end in DuPage County at Woodridge.
The goal of the trail is to link the North Central DuPage Regional Trail on the north (just north of Lake Street) with the Illinois Prairie Path, Great Western Trail, and the future Southern DuPage County Regional Trail to the south (at Hobson Road).
This trail, using a combination of off-road and on-road bikeways, will tie together the 10 forest preserves including Spring Creek Reservoir (Lake Street), Swift Prairie, East Branch, Churchill Woods, Hidden Lake, and Green Valley. The trail will provide easy access to over 420,000 residents in central DuPage County, 29 local parks. 18 schools including College of DuPage and Benedictine College, and other destinations like Morton Arboretum. Last but not least, the trail provides non-motorized access to employment centers, downtown areas, train stations, and other commute destinations.
Communities with easy access to this new trail will include Bloomingdale, Addison, Glendale Heights, Glen Ellyn, Lombard, Wheaton, Lisle, Woodridge, and Bolingbrook.
This is a multi-jurisdictional project being implemented by affected communities, park districts, the DuPage County Forest Preserve District, and the DuPage County Division of Transportation.
Feasibility Study A $99,000 study was completed in 2004 and funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Transportation and Community and System Preservation Program matched by funding from the DuPage County Board.
Current Status The feasibility study is completed and copies of the Executive Summary can be obtained by emailing dfagan@dupageco.org or calling 630-407-6883. DuPage County Division of Transportation has received a $2 million grant to complete the portion of the trail known as the Benedictine Connector in Lisle and Phase I engineering is nearing completion on that segment. The Village of Bloomingdale has also received a grant to complete the trail within their boundaries between Lake Street and Army Trail Road. The Villages of Lisle and Woodridge and the County of DuPage are also working on the trail segment between Maple Avenue and Hobson Road (including receipt of a $720,000 grant for construction). Additional efforts are underway to seek funding for completing individual segments of the trail in each community.
Further Information For further information on this project or contacts to implement the sections in your community, please contact Deborah Jan Fagan, DuPage County Trail System Coordinator, at (630)-407-6883 or email dfagan@dupageco.org.
The North Central DuPage Regional Trail is a 35 mile trail which will span the northern portion of the county beginning at the Illinois Prairie Path-Elgin Branch on the west. It will pass through the communities of Wayne, Bartlett, Hanover Park, Bloomingdale, Roselle, Elk Grove Village, unincorporated areas of Bloomingdale Township, and several forest preserves. On the east it will connect to Cook County's Ned Brown/ Busse Woods Forest Preserve and the Schaumburg bikeway system. Using the Illinois Prairie Path, trail users will be able to access the Fox River Trail in Kane County.
This is a multi-jurisdictional project being implemented by affected communities, park districts, the DuPage County Forest Preserve District, the DuPage County Division of Transportation, and IDOT.
Current Status The DuPage County Division of Transportation and the DuPage County Forest Preserve District completed a 150 ft. bicycle/ pedestrian bridge over Bloomingdale/ Roselle Road which connects the trail through Meacham Grove Forest Preserve in 2004 at a cost of $622,482.
Other significant segments completed for this trail by other intergovernmental partners include:
Lake Street bicycle and pedestrian bridge ( Villages of Roselle and Bloomingdale, and the State of Illinois) , $1.9 million, 2003.
Village of Hanover Park's Greenbrook-Mallard Lake Forest Preserve link, 2003.
Forest Preserve District trail segment in Hawk Hollow Forest Preserve
On-street signed trail routes in Roselle and Bloomingdale.
Another bridge is planned by the DuPage County Forest Preserve District for County Farm Road to connect Hawk Hollow Forest Preserve to Mallard Lake Forest Preserve. Engineering on this project is completed. For updates on construction of the connecting trail through the west side of Mallard Lake Forest Preserve and the bridge across County Farm Road, contact the DuPage County Forest Preserve District at 933-7200.
Planning is also underway by the Forest Preserve District for the trail segment in Pratt's Wayne Woods in Wayne and Bartlett that will provide a link to the Illinois Prairie Path and regional trails in Kane and Kendall Counties.
Project Duration The trail intergovernmental coordinating group working on this project hopes to complete all segments by 2009.
Further Information For further information on this project, please contact Robert Burns, Director of Public Works, Village of Roselle at 980-2020, extension 105.
The Salt Creek Greenway Trail is an approximately 35 mile proposed trail which starts in Cook County on the north, passes through eastern DuPage and curves southeast into Cook County at the south end. The trail will pass through Salt Creek Marsh, Cricket Creek, Salt Creek Greenway, York Woods, the Fullersburg Woods, along the golf course in Oak Meadows, and through forest preserves in Cook County. It connects six eastern DuPage communities including Wood Dale, Addison, Villa Park, Elmhurst, Oak Brook, and Oakbrook Terrace. The trail also connects to Wood Dale and Hinsdale's bikeway system, the Illinois Prairie Path Main Stem, Brookfield, Lyons, and Riverside.
The Salt Creek Trail is one component of the Salt Creek Greenway Master Plan. The plan was prepared for the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County by the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission, DuPage County Department of Development and Environmental Concerns, Openlands Project, and Charles Flink and Robert Stearns. A large component of the plan was trail enhancement and increasing recreational activities along Salt Creek.
The Salt Creek Trail is part of an intergovernmental effort by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County and includes the County, park districts, and municipalities. Once completed, the Salt Creek Trail will provide a link to Busse Woods Forest Preserve and the Schaumburg Bikeway System on the north, the Illinois Prairie Path, and the future Centennial Trail in Lyons. For an overview of the entire countywide regional trail network, see the Regional Bikeway Plan Summary and Countywide Bikeway Map.
The project has received federal grants of $2,948,000 to construct a portion of the trail in DuPage and Cook. Wood Dale has also received funding fand constructed their trail portion.
Current Status A major portion of the DuPage section of the trail from Villa Park to Oak Brook/Hinsdale is under construction and nearing completion with approximately $4,000,000 in grant funding. A 1.2 mile segment has been constructed through Cricket Creek and a .5 mile segment has been constructed through York Woods. A 2.6 mile segment has been constructed along York Road. Wood Dale recently constructed a trail bridge over Irving Park Road and their trail segment within their community bicycle plan.
The total estimated construction cost of the Forest Preserve District for the DuPage segments is approximately $10 million. Two grant applications are currently pending approval to complete the remaining DuPage section from Villa Park to Wood Dale.
The Forest Preserve District has also completed the The Salt Creek Greenway Master Plan. Copies of the plan's summary brochure are available from the District by calling (630)-933-7200.
In Cook County, construction is completed on the Salt Creek Trail connecting on the north to Busse Woods and in western Cook County connecting to Brookfield Zoo. This project was coordinated by Cook County Forest Preserve District and included approximately 13 miles of improvements.
Project Duration Construction is underway and is expected to be fully completed over the next 2 years.
Trail Map The Forest Preserve District completed The Salt Creek Greenway Master Plan which includes a map showing the trail and location of the plan's recommendations. For a copy of the executive summary of this plan, click here: Salt Creek Greenway Master Plan Executive Summary. A future map of the trail is being prepared by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County Public Information Office (630-933-7200)
Further Information For further information on this project, please contact the Public Relations Department of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County at (630) 933-7200.
The West Branch DuPage River Trail is an approximately 23 mile trail which will extend through the communities of Hanover Park , Bloomingdale, Bartlett, Wayne, Carol Stream, West Chicago, Winfield, Warrenville, and Naperville along the DuPage River. The West Branch DuPage River Trail includes approximately six miles of existing facilities such as Timber Ridge Trail and segments along the Great Western Trail through Winfield Mounds and Blackwell Forest Preserves, and through the City of Naperville. The trail connects several branches of the Illinois Prairie Path (at Timber Ridge, Winfield Mounds, and Warrenville Grove Forest Preserves).
This proposed regional trail will link to community trail plans in Naperville, West Chicago, Winfield, Warrenville, and Carol Stream. The north end of the trail will connect with the North Central DuPage Regional Trail which will provide a connection along Bartlett Road into northwest Cook County and to the Illinois Prairie Path which will take trail users west to the Fox River Trail in Kane County. The south end of the trail will lead you into northern Will County in Naperville where efforts to extend the trail further south are currently in the planning stages.
The West Branch DuPage River Trail is part of an intergovernmental effort led by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County and includes municipalities, park districts, and other agencies like the DuPage County Division of Transportation. The lead contact agency for the trail is the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.
Current Status The trail is being constructed in stages under the guidance of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. Sections are completed in Warrenville Grove, Hawk Hollow Forest Preserve, West Branch Forest Preserve, and McDowell Grove. The City of Naperville has also completed construction on the section of this trail south of 75th Street. The Village of Carol Stream completed a connection to the trail along Lies Road in summer, 2005. Engineering is also underway for the trail segment which will link McDowell Grove Forest Preserve to downtown Naperville. This West Branch trail connection between Ogden Avenue and Jefferson Avenue, is a cooperative project of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, the City of Naperville and Naperville Park District. When completed, the improvements will link with the previously completed sections of the West Branch DuPage River Trail.
Engineering is also underway on the trail north from the Great Western Trail to St. Charles Road and West Branch Forest Preserve in Carol Stream. A cooperative effort with Carol Stream will continue the trail northward from this point along Fair Oaks Road to the West Branch Preserve as part of a later project. Carol Stream is currently seeking grant funding to complete this trail segment.
Project Duration The trail is expected to be completed over the next several years.
Further Information For further information on this project, please contact Andrea Hoyt, Director of Planning and Development, at the Forest Preserve of DuPage County at (630)-933-7200.
In 2003, a concept plan was developed to create a new north-south trail in far western DuPage County which would link the Elgin and Batavia Spur branches of the Illinois Prairie Path with Fermilab, the newly developing DuPage Technology Park, and DuPage Airport with the regional forest preserves of Pratt's Wayne Woods and Big Woods. The proposed trail would provide a way to link local trail facilities and bikeway plans in the communities of Wayne, West Chicago, St. Charles, Batavia, Aurora, Geneva, Warrenville, Bartlett and Naperville.
The concept trail is approximately 16 miles long. The next step in the development process would be to undertake the detailed engineering needed to define the specific trail route.
While development of the concept plan was coordinated by the DuPage County Department of Economic Development and Planning, like all regional trail projects in the county, implementation will require several agencies working together in partnership to construct the trail. Project partners identifies as part of the planning process thus far include DuPage County, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, DuPage Technology Park, DuPage Airport Authority, the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, Wayne Township, Village of Wayne and the City of West Chicago.
Current Status A brochure summarizing the concept plan has been produced and distributed. The Technology Park has completed construction of the regional trail segment on their property between Fabyan Pkwy. and close to Roosevelt Road. Coordination is also taking place with Kane County and on roadway improvements involving Roosevelt Road and connections to Kane County Cougar Stadium.
Project Duration A specific schedule for implementation has not been developed and it is expected the trail will be implemented over several years.
Further Information For further information on this project, and a copy of the concept plan, please contact Deborah Jan Fagan, DuPage County Trail System Coordinator, at (630)-407-6883 or email dfagan@dupageco.org.
The first phase of the Centennial Trail is a 13-mile multi-county off-road trail which will start in Cook County near the Chicago Portage site along the DesPlaines River in Lyons. It will be located on the south side of the DesPlaines River and will cross into DuPage and will traverse the southeast corner of DuPage County south of Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve. It continues southwest from that point and will join the Illinois and Michigan Canal.
This project is being coordinated by the Cook County Forest Preserve District.
Current Status Construction is approximately 50% completed with final construction to be completed this year.
A second phase includes an additional 4 miles. That phase is in the engineering phase with a construction schedule yet to be determined.
Project Duration The majority of the trail will be completed in 2008.
Further Information Please contact the Cook County Forest Preserve District, Planning Division at (708) 366-9420.
The I-355 Extension Bikeway is an intergovernmental effort to construct a new regional trail which will link DuPage County with Cook and Will Counties following in the general vicinity of the Interstate 355, the North-South Tollway, extension that connects Interstate 55 with Interstate 88. Approximately 14 miles in length, the major new trail would provide an important link to the following existing facilities
Village of Woodridge Municipal Trail System
Southern DuPage County Regional Trail
I & M Canal Trail/Heritage Park Trail/Centennial Trail in Will and CookCounties
Illinois Prairie Path in Cook, DuPage, and Kane Counties
Old Plank Road Trail in Cook, Kendall, and Will Counties
Agencies working in partnership on what is known as the "North Section" include Woodridge, Woodridge Park District, Lemont, DuPage County, DuPage County Forest Preserve District, Will County Forest Preserve District, and Downers Grove Township. The North Section of this trail will link the Southern DuPage County Regional Trail and the Woodridge municipal trail system at International Centre to Cook and Will Counties ending at 135th Street. This 4.5 mile link will connect DuPage residents to the over 60 miles of the I&M Canal Corridor.
Grant funding is being sought to build this trail estimated at approximately $7,000,000. A critical element in the success of this trail effort so far is the participation of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. As part of the roadway construction, the Tollway has built a haul bridge over the DesPlainesRiver. The bridge will be left in place after the roadway construction to serve as a trail bridge for the North Section. This agreement by the Tollway will be a major cost savings for the construction of this new regional trail. Other work the tollway is providing includes grading of the future trail area and a start on preliminary engineering plans.
Current Status Preliminary engineering work by the Tollway Authority is now completed and affected agencies along the entire route are seeking grant funds and developing intergovernmental partnerships to implement the preliminary trail plan. Will County Forest Preserve District is serving as the "lead agency" coordinating the North Section and is actively seeking grant funds to implement this segment.
Some grading and preparation for the trail segments was completed by the Tollway Authority as part of the overall roadway construction. In addition, several improvements that will ultimately be used for the trail were completed by the Tollway Authority and donated to the Will County Forest Preserve District (e.g., haul road bridges that will remain in place and serve as trail bridges).
Several communities are also completing a separate study to look at community connections and the trail route as coordinated with future development. That work is expected to be completed in late 2008.
Project Duration There is not a specific timeline established for this project. The trail will be completed as intergovernmental agreements and funding sources are found to implement the trail.
Further Information On the segment affecting DuPage County, please contact Deborah Jan Fagan at dfagan@dupageco.org or by calling 630-407-6883.
As part of the DuPage County Regional Bikeway Plan, the DuPage County Regional Commission produces a map of existing and proposed bikeways in DuPage County. See