McDowell Grove entrance to close in early June for bridge replacement

If you frequently bike through McDowell Grove Forest Preserve near Naperville, expect a long detour starting in early June.

That's when the preserve's main entrance and parking lot will be closed so an aging one-lane entrance bridge can be replaced. A section of a regional trail through the preserve also will be closed during the construction project, which is expected to last about six months.

Forest preserve officials say the existing 70-year-old bridge - which pedestrians and vehicles use to cross the West Branch of the DuPage River - is critically deficient. The new two-lane bridge will accommodate cars and trucks and have a separate elevated trail with a barrier wall for pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

During the construction, visitors will need to use turf and limestone trails from the east, south and north to reach McDowell Grove. Fishing will need to be done along Mud Lake and the West Branch of the DuPage River away from the work site.

The project will affect users of the West Branch DuPage River Trail - a 23-mile regional path that begins in Hanover Park and runs south through DuPage - because it passes directly through the construction site.

Hikers and bikers who want to cross the preserve using the regional trail will need to take a 6.8-mile detour through Naperville.

From the north end of McDowell Grove, the detour will go west along Ferry Road, southwest on the Illinois Prairie Path-Aurora Branch, and then along Fairway Drive, Campbell Drive and Bruce Lane to Brookdale Road, where it will cross Raymond Drive and reconnect with the West Branch DuPage River Trail near Fawell Dam.

"The board of commissioners believes closing McDowell Grove during the bridge replacement is the best choice in terms of public safety, cost and efficiency," forest preserve President Joseph Cantore said in a statement. "This work has been needed for a long time, and the new bridge will be much safer for all to use, including motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists."

District officials say the $1.96 million bridge replacement project will provide other benefits.

The new bridge will have a clear span of the river and a higher elevation, which will minimize debris buildup during floods. In addition, the entrance to the preserve will be reconfigured to eliminate a dangerous curve and reroute the regional trail to avoid the parking lot, officials said.