AURORA – State Senator Linda Holmes announced Friday that her advocacy on behalf of the 42nd District has secured a $1.9 million investment in the Forest Preserve District of Will County.
“Several years into the Rebuild Illinois program, we’ve seen projects funded in all forms of transportation, from interstates, roads and bridges to railroads, public transit and waterways,” said Holmes (D-Aurora). “Updating the trails in the Forest Preserve District will make these natural areas more enjoyable, away from busier streets and highways nearby.”
This award comes through the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program of the Illinois Department of Transportation to expand local travel options and enhance quality of life in communities statewide. Projects include bike and pedestrian paths and trails, streetscape beautification and other projects designed to encourage safe travel across various modes of local transportation.
The trail would stretch along the north side of Wolf’s Crossing Road west from Carls Drive, and on the south side east from Carls Drive. It would allow trail users easier access to the existing trail systems in Aurora, as well as the Forest Preserve’s Normantown Trail and the Tallgrass Greenway Trail in Naperville. This trail would be built in partnership with the City of Aurora and Wheatland Township Road District, and would fill in one of the gaps identified in the 2016 Will County Bikeway Plan between Aurora and Orland Park.
“Over the past few decades, Forest Preserve staff have been evaluating multiuse paths and alternative transportation corridors to connect communities, businesses, and recreational areas to the citizens of Will and surrounding counties,” said Colleen Novander, the Forest Preserve District’s director of planning and land preservation. “Grant funding and municipal partnerships are the key components to accomplishing these connections and we appreciate the assistance.”
The grant is part of IDOT’s commitment to improving non-motorized transportation options and supporting local infrastructure development across Illinois.
