The potential on-street extension of the Des Plaines River Trail through River Forest was the focus of a recent meeting that drew a strong community turnout, including bicyclists who have a particular interest in the project.
Organizers said that about 50 people attended the open house on Oct. 1, held to gather feedback regarding the proposal to extend the trail mainly along Thatcher Avenue between North Avenue and Madison Street. A smaller section would run along Madison between Thatcher and Van Buren Street, where it would connect with a proposed biking/walking path in Forest Park
Jack Bielak, River Forest director of public works and engineering, said he was “extremely and pleasantly surprised” by the number of people who attended the two-hour meeting at River Forest Village Hall.
“It was a great turnout,” he said, adding. “We had a good discourse and received a lot of positive feedback.”
Bielak was joined by two representatives from the transportation group of Christopher Burke Engineering Ltd.: Melissa McGhee, senior project manager, and Michael J. Matkovic, vice president.
Burke Engineering, a full-service consulting engineering and surveying firm based in Rosemont, is the consultant for the Phase I development of the entire Des Plaines River Trail network.
Many of those attending came into the Community Room carrying their bicycle helmets, indicating their interest in the project.
Instead of a formal program, organizers displayed overside poster boards with information about both the overall project and the River Forest component. Also on display across several tables was a large map of the proposed trail extension.
The section of the proposed trail between North and Lake Street would be on the existing roadway while the section between Hawthorne and Madison would be an off-street multi-use path on the roadway right of way west of Thatcher.
Generating considerable interest were the two options for the trail between Chicago and Lake that were shown. One would eliminate the existing parking lane to create two dedicated biking lanes, one of each side, and the other that would preserve the parking lane and create lanes that would be shared by bicyclists and motorists.
Attendees were in two camps with one group in favor of keeping the parking to avoid issues on nearby streets and the other in favor of eliminating parking to provide greater safety for bicyclists. Bielak said a common theme among attendees was implementing traffic calming measures on Thatcher.
The trail runs along the Des Plaines River through Lake and Cook counties between Wadsworth on the north and North Avenue on the south. Plans call for connecting the 56-mile-long Des Plaines River Trail with the 61-mile-long Illinois Prairie Path, using the River Forest section and the planned biking/walking path along Van Buren Street in Forest Park, which would create a continuous trail from the Wisconsin/Illinois border to Wheaton.
According to the Cook County Forest Preserves website, the Cook County portion of the Des Plaines River Trail is 28.4 miles long, consisting of paved and unpaved surfaces. The Cook County Forest Preserve system includes over 350 miles of paved and unpaved trails.
The project is currently in the first of three phases. The current phase includes preliminary engineering and environmental studies with an estimated completion date in 2025. The second phase, which includes contract plan preparation and land acquisition, is expected to take nine to 12 months with an estimated completion date in 2026. The third and final phase is construction which is expected to take 12 to 15 months with an estimated completion date in 2030. The timeline for all three phases is dependent on funding. Bielak said village officials are investigating possible grant funding from state and federal sources.
Correction, Oct. 11, 10:28 a.m.: This article has been updated to include the accurate streets near some trail options. It is the section of the trail between Chicago and Lake. We apologize for the error.