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Key trail connection nears in Libertyville Township

Libertyville Township is nearly ready to proceed with a long-sought trail extension to connect with a regional system.

Besides a new section of trail heading north from the Timber Creek subdivision near Butterfield Road and Route 137 on the northwest side of Libertyville, the estimated $850,000 project includes the improvement of an informal trail in the area.

When complete, hikers and bikers will be able to ride from various neighborhoods to the township's Casey Trail. To the east, that becomes part of the Lake County Forest Preserve District system and continues beneath Milwaukee Avenue through Independence Grove to the Des Plaines River Trail, which spans the county from north to south.

"Basically, it will connect the whole west side of the village and township to the regional trail system," township Supervisor Kathleen O'Connor said. "They'll be able to get to Independence Grove. It kind of connects the dots."

Township officials are awaiting a lease agreement to build across ComEd property and are checking the references of bidders for trail construction. A special meeting might be called soon to award the work.

"We've been saving for a couple of years for this," O'Connor said. "The sooner we award the bid, the faster we can get the construction started."

The extension is less than a mile, and a lengthy section will be a boardwalk over Bull Creek.

The first segment of the trail begins on Castleton Road in Timber Creek and is owned and maintained by the village. At about the two-thirds mark, the township will extend it north to connect with an informal trail that runs along a hay field east from Bull Creek Drive.

The remaining third of the village trail will be removed and the first section, which is paved, will be rebuilt. The grass path from Bull Creek Drive, which turns north, also will be improved to standard specifications with a crushed limestone surface.

"What's really neat about this is as soon as you cross the ComEd property, you're going to enter an Illinois Nature Preserve, the one at Liberty Prairie. It has endangered species and it's the highest order of protection you can give land," O'Connor said.

Residents in the area have been asking for the trail for years, she added.

Under an agreement approved by the village board Tuesday night, Libertyville will pay up to $15,000 to replace the first segment of path, with the township taking over future maintenance.

Maps of the current layout and proposed work are on the township website.

@dhmickzawislak

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