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What’s happening with the remaining section of the Weber Spur Trail?

Mar 1, 2024 | by Maya Norris

The Weber Spur Trail on Chicago’s Northwest Side has been subject to a series of starts and stops over the last decade, resulting in slow, sporadic progress for the rails-to-trails project. But the trail may finally be making some progress as the North Branch Trail Alliance re-engages local communities and stakeholders and works to ensure the project is top of mind with elected officials and government agencies. The Weber Spur is a 2.7-mile trail that starts at Touhy Avenue in Lincolnwood, takes a southwestern route through LaBagh Woods and could connect to Elston Avenue’s bicycle lanes (see drone footage of the route). Suburban Lincolnwood built a one-mile stretch of the trail; now it’s up to the city of Chicago to...

Tags: Chicago North Side, Trails

Surveys help refine DuPage County Trails Plan

Feb 14, 2024 | by Maya Norris

The DuPage County Department of Transportation recently completed a survey that will help inform a trails plan that is expected to be approved this year. The new trails plan, which has been in development for several years, will focus on the maintenance and operations of nearly 100 miles of trails, including the Illinois Prairie Path, Great Western Trail and Southern DuPage County Regional Trail. Sid Kenyon, a senior transportation planner for DuDOT, recently shared the results of two public surveys that garnered 3,100 responses. Kenyon said one of the major topics emphasized by survey respondents was the importance of signage and wayfinding. Trail users want functional and useful signage, he said, that helps remind them of where they are on...

Tags: Trails, West Suburbs

Community spirit pushes the Great Western Trail forward

Jan 8, 2024 | by Maya Norris

The Great Western Trail, a 30-mile path tracing the legacy of the Chicago Great Western Railway, stands as a testament to advocacy and perseverance. Broken into two segments due to geographical hurdles, this trail is a labor of love, continuously championed by the Friends of the Great Western Trail. The newer of the two sections is 12.7 miles and runs between Villa Park and West Chicago in DuPage County,. The older, western section is 18 miles long and runs between western St. Charles in Kane County and Sycamore in DeKalb County. There are no plans to connect the two sections of the trail because the DuPage County Airport stands between them. But the Friends of the Great Western Trail continue...

Tags: Trails, West Suburbs

Illinois Prairie Path continues to grow and improve

Dec 15, 2023 | by Maya Norris

Since its inception in the 1960s, Illinois Prairie Path has woven itself through DuPage, Kane, and Cook Counties. As one of the nation’s pioneering rail trail projects, this 61-mile trail network offers plenty for Chicagoland residents to be proud of. From the beginning and continuing on to this day, advocacy and collaboration have been crucial to the success of this trail that serves as the centerpiece for Chicagoland rail trails. In 1963, May Watts of the Morton Arboretum sent a letter to the editor of the Chicago Tribune, calling for the conversion of the abandoned Chicago, Aurora and Elgin Railroad into a nature trail for future generations. Watts spent several years working with volunteers and stakeholders to build awareness and...

Tags: Bicycling, Trails, Walking, West Suburbs

Chicago should pair trails vision with plan for safe, connected bikeways on streets

Apr 5, 2022 | by Active Trans

Last week Mayor Lori Lightfoot released a citywide vision of trails and open space projects that she said would promote the health and well-being of all Chicago residents and visitors. The new map provides a compelling vision that opens the door to funding many high-impact projects that community leaders have fought for over many years. But by itself it will not make a meaningful difference in advancing the city’s climate, equity, and safety goals. Chicago still needs a safe, connected on-street bikeways network. TRAILS VISION NEEDS MORE DETAIL Walking and biking trails are hugely popular and can help improve community health and sustainability. When informed by strong community input, they can increase access to open space and help fill gaps...

Tags: Advocacy, Bicycling, biking, Chicago, Equity, Trails

Active Trans works to connect trails in Chicagoland

Nov 11, 2020 | by Jim Merrell

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Chicago area residents have come to depend on trails not only as recreational assets, but also as transportation corridors that provide low-stress walking and biking connections within and between communities. The Chicago area provides opportunities to enjoy more than 1,100 miles of trails that crisscross the region. But too often people walking or biking on our regional trails encounter dead ends, dangerous crossings, diversions onto stressful streets, and other gaps in the network. Through our Trail Connect Chicagoland campaign, Active Trans works with advocates and public officials across the region to advance trail projects that move us closer to a seamless network. Multi-use trail projects take time to develop and implement, but thanks to the determination...

Tags: Chicago Central, chicago north, Chicago River Trail, Chicago West & Southwest Side, North Suburbs, river trail, South Suburbs, Trails, West Suburbs

Mobility in the time of COVID-19 in the north and west suburbs

Aug 20, 2020 | by Maggie Melin Czerwinski

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot of what we perceive and know about mobility and transportation. In recent months, Active Trans met with more than 100 stakeholders who are invested in our work. We spoke with community partners, elected officials, department of transportation and transit agency officials, and residents across the city and suburbs. As part of this process, we held a series of small-group conversations and solo conversations with stakeholders, municipal staff, and elected officials in the north and west suburbs. Though not all encompassing, here is a glimpse of what residents are experiencing. During the course of 14 conversations, we spoke with community members, municipal staff, and elected officials representing Des Plaines, Elgin, Highland Park, Skokie, Waukegan, DuPage...

Tags: biking, covid-19, North Suburbs, Trails, transit, Walking, West Suburbs

Mobility in the time of COVID-19 in the south suburbs

Aug 18, 2020 | by Maggie Melin Czerwinski

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot of what we perceive and know about mobility and transportation. In recent months, Active Trans met with more than 100 stakeholders who are invested in our work. We spoke with community partners, elected officials, department of transportation and transit agency officials, municipal staff, and residents across the city and suburbs. As part of this process, we held a series of small-group conversations and solo conversations with stakeholders in southern Cook County and Will County. Though not all encompassing, here is a glimpse of what residents in the south and southwest suburbs are experiencing. During the course of 14 conversations, we spoke with community members, municipal staff, and elected officials representing Blue Island, Calumet City,...

Tags: Bicycling, South Suburbs, Trails, transit, Walking

Let’s re-envision Route 53 extension

Jan 31, 2020 | by Maggie Melin Czerwinski

After nearly six decades of debate over the highly controversial Route 53 highway expansion project, victory was finally declared for walking, biking, and transit in Lake County last summer. Recognizing the $3 billion project would not relieve congestion problems, in July of 2019, the Lake County Board unanimously voted to remove support for the Route 53 highway extension from its strategic plan. A day later, the Illinois Tollway announced that it would cease work on a multi-million dollar environmental impact study of the extension. This was a monumental step forward, putting an end to a needless, environmentally destructive highway project. Success was in large part due to the persistent work of many advocates in Lake County, including the Illinois Sierra Club,...

Tags: Bicycling, North Suburbs, Trails, Walking

I&M Canal Trail completion gains momentum

Nov 18, 2019 | by Matt Gomez

Would you like the opportunity to bike on a seamless trail from Chicago to Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Parks? The I&M Canal Trail and the Centennial Trail run from the southwest suburbs of Chicago to the downstate parks. However, as riders of those trails know, major gaps exist in the trails that restrict users from staying on the same trail to make that journey. Instead, during those gaps, riders need to find their own alternative routes to safely make the trip. Due to the nature of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and the heavy industrial users along the canal in the near southwest suburbs, a large gap exists in the I&M Canal Trail from the Chicago Portage National...

Tags: IandMTrail, Trails

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