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| Rain damage closes McHenry County bike path | |
| Sep 12, 2007 | |
| Jeff Long, staff reporter jjlong@tribune.com | |
| Chicago Tribune | |
| Pertains to Huntley-Union-Marengo Trail, Huntley, Union, Marengo | |
| Gerald Garski was walking his bike awkwardly over rutted gullies, experiencing for himself the damage done by heavy rains to a popular McHenry County trail he has used to commute between his home in Marengo and a job in Union. "It's terrible," Garski said. "It's like this all the way down." The 3 1/2-mile Huntley-Union-Marengo Trail was officially closed last month by the McHenry County Conservation District after a storm Aug. 7 that dumped 6 inches of rain in about four hours. An insurance adjuster was assessing the damage this week, and district officials were preparing to seek bids to make repairs that are expected to cost between $200,000 and $230,000. The storm gouged potholes and washed away crushed limestone, creating gullies that have made it hazardous to bike or walk on the trail, which opened in June. The trail is not just a recreational amenity, but was planned as a link between the communities of Marengo and Union, said Wendy Kummerer, a district spokeswoman. Eventually, the district hopes to build an extension to Huntley, and beyond that, into neighboring Boone County. The trail, known as the HUM Trail after the communities it will connect, appears to have been the most heavily damaged of the hundreds of miles of pathways that have been built in the Chicago area. The Prairie Trail in McHenry County had minor damage that was quickly repaired by conservation district staff, and none of its 26-mile span was closed. A 1 1/2-mile stretch of the River Bend Trail in South Elgin, just south of the Jon T. Duerr Forest Preserve in Kane County, was closed because of damage caused by rains in mid-August. It was reopened Aug. 31 after crushed limestone, donated by a local quarry, was spread by Kane County Forest Preserve District workers, said Mike Holan, the district's director of operations and maintenance. In Lake County, flooding had blocked the part of the Des Plaines River Trail that runs through the Illinois Highway 60 underpass in Vernon Hills, but the water had receded by Monday. Lake County Forest Preserve District officials said there was little damage and no washouts on the district's 125 miles of trails. "We've had damage before, but this time the water came up slowly and receded slowly," said Mike Tully, director of operations and public safety. But the HUM Trail is expected to be closed for several months to bikers, joggers and walkers. "We're concerned about public safety," said John Kremer, operations manager for the McHenry County Conservation District. Kremer said that about two-thirds of the trail, which runs along the Union Pacific railroad tracks, was destroyed by flooding. "You're not going to beat Mother Nature," Kremer said last week as he bumpily maneuvered his sport-utility vehicle over the trail. "Especially with water. Water goes where it wants to." He said that the repair project may include additional work such as putting plastic webbing on the gravel base to help prevent future washouts. Then, if it were to flood again, district workers would only have to smooth the top layer of crushed limestone back into place. "My future now is to get this trail fixed and back open," Kremer said. Ignoring signs that said the trail was closed, Garski, 33, swatted mosquitoes on a recent morning as he walked his 18-speed Huffy along the trail on his way to a job moving furniture in Union. He said he likes the secluded path because it keeps him away from vehicle traffic. The trail has been popular with bicyclists since it opened, said Garski, who hopes to open a bicycle shop that would cater to area riders. "A lot of them use it," he said. "When there isn't all this sand and ruts, it's very popular." |
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