This page shows news articles related to specific greenways and communities.
All News Clips
| Back to List | |
| project Update: Meacham Grove Bridge | |
| Aug 15, 2003 | |
| Deanna K. Eichenauer, Graphic Design Specialist http://10.21.5.15/intranet/pho | |
| Forest Preserve website | |
| Pertains to North Central DuPage Regional Trail, Bloomingdale | |
| Project History In February 2000, State Representative Carole Pankau hosted a meeting in Roselle that was attended by approximately 75 people including local residents, elected officials and staff members from various public agencies. At this meeting, Representative Pankau presented a vision for an east-west regional trail spanning northern DuPage County to connect the Forest Preserve District of Cook County’s Busse Woods Forest Preserve to Kane County’s Fox River trail system. The vision quickly came to fruition and today is known as the North Central DuPage Regional Trail. Since that first meeting, at least 10 additional meetings were held. Trail overpasses over Interstate 290 in Elk Grove Village and Illinois Route 20/Lake Street in Bloomingdale were constructed, more than four miles of new trails within Mallard Lake and Meacham Grove forest preserves were constructed and on-street links to local parks, forest preserves and other regional trails, including the Illinois Prairie Path and Great Western Trail, were completed or are under construction. One of the key components of the North Central DuPage Regional Trail is a multipurpose trail bridge to link the eastern and western portions of Meacham Grove Forest Preserve and span the four-lane Bloomingdale-Roselle Road. The multipurpose trail bridge will replace a current trail crossing that proves to be a harrowing experience for even the most experienced trail users, an at-grade painted crosswalk located at a curve in the road. Project Funding Funding for this $1 million multipurpose trail bridge project is cooperative between the Forest Preserve District and DuPage County with $500,000 in funding provided by an Illinois First grant from the state of Illinois. To fund the bridge’s construction, DuPage County has budgeted $200,000 and the Forest Preserve District has budgeted $250,000. The Forest Preserve District has also budgeted an additional $50,000 for post-construction landscaping. Current Status A groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed multipurpose trail bridge took place at Meacham Grove Forest Preserve on National Trails Day, Saturday, June 7. DuPage County awarded a contract to build the bridge to Belvidere Construction Company. Work is anticipated to start early August 2003 and near completion by October’s end. The Forest Preserve District will then plant trees and shrubs in spring or fall 2004 to complete the project. Project Overview Under the terms of an intergovernmental agreement between the Forest Preserve District and DuPage County, the county has agreed to be the lead agency with respect to designing and constructing the multipurpose trail bridge. Upon completion, the Forest Preserve District will be responsible for maintaining the bridge and trail, although the county’s structural engineers will perform a detailed inspection of the bridge on a bi-annual basis. In an effort to minimize removing trees from Meacham Grove Forest Preserve that contains one of the District’s highestquality hardwood forests, the bridge’s western abutment will be constructed at a former small parking lot closed to the public after July 2003. The forest preserve’s main entrance and trailhead is located at the intersection of Circle Avenue and Spring Valley Drive, complete with a new 35-car parking lot. In addition, other public parking spaces are available at various Bloomingdale Township facilities on Rosedale Road at the western boundary of Meacham Grove Forest Preserve. Under the terms of a professional services contract with DuPage County, T.Y. Lin International prepared the plans and specifications for the multipurpose trail bridge. Located less than one-half mile north of Bloomingdale’s historic district, the bridge’s steel bow truss design resembles an old, historic railroad bridge and measures 10 feet-wide and 155 feet long. The bridge must meet state highway regulations and clear the roadway surface by a minimum height of 17 feet and 3 inches. Trail ramps’ slopes on each side of the multipurpose trail bridge will be a maximum of five percent in compliance with federal accessibility standards. Trail ramps will be paved with asphalt and graduate into Meacham Grove Forest Preserve’s limestone screened trails. On either side of Bloomingdale-Roselle Road, connecting paths between existing sidewalks will be constructed to the new multipurpose trail bridge. |
»»»»»
Greenway Trails
» » »Existing
» » »Project
» » »Potential
Greenway Maps
» » »by Agency
» » »by Scope
Community Systems
» » »Active
» » »Typical
» » »Sedentary
» » »Dead-end
Grade Separations
» » »Existing
» » »Needed
Trail Development
» » »News
» » »Events
Greenway Advocacy Materials
Bicycle Underpass/Overpass Gallery
About Greenway Planning Database
About Steve Breese
PalatineRoad.com
Contact Steve Breese
Greenway Links
ArlingtonTrotters.com
Fast Track Racing Team
COGO
Technical Corner