Great teamwork on 79th Street project

On behalf of the Safety On 79th Street (SOS) Committee, we would like to express our appreciation to the DuPage Forest Preserve District, city of Naperville, Naperville Park District and Lisle Township, for their recent, unique and joint preliminary approval of an important and new one-third mile trail connection path through Greene Valley Forest Preserve.

This trail is needed for the safety of Naperville residents accessing the forest preserve at its entries along a very narrow and unsafe stretch of 79th Street, a Lisle Township highway.

For over 20 years, this original farm road has handled increasing pedestrian and bike traffic accessing the forest preserve as hundreds of homes were built to the west. With absolutely no shoulder or sidewalk on either side of 79th Street, walkers, joggers and bikers have had to contend with dangerous and speeding vehicles going both east and west on 79th Street.

The safe, reasonable and cost-effective solution our committee proposed and developed with the DuPage Forest Preserve District is a short connector limestone path running from 79th Street that connects a city of Naperville bike path to another path within the forest preserve. This also has the added value of creating an extension of the official bike trails throughout the forest preserve and Naperville.

We would like to thank for their support and leadership efforts: forest preserve President Dewey Pierotti and Commissioners Linda Painter and Carl Schultz; Mayor George Pradel and the Naperville City Council; Naperville Park Board and President Mike Reilly; Lisle Township Highway Commissioner Mike Dow and the township board.

We know that this proposal makes sense, and once finalized and implemented will relieve the safety concerns of many residents.

Gerry Cassioppi

Gary Kovener

SOS committee members

Naperville