Cary parks receives $1.1 million state grant for bike trail
The Cary Park District has been awarded a roughly $1.1 million state grant to construct a 1.4-mile bike trail at Hoffman Park.
The trail extension will connect to an existing 2.1 miles of trail at Hoffman Park and provide for a continuous loop throughout the park. It also will connect to the Meyer-Lafarge gravel pit in its final stages of restoration, and the recently completed Route 31 trail. It is expected to be built in 2020.
Once constructed, the park district will manage the entire 6.5 miles of trail throughout the community linking residents to parks, neighborhoods, natural areas, and several Cary community resources.
The park district's Hoffman Park bike path project has garnered support from state Rep. David McSweeney, state Sen. Dan McConchie, the villages of Cary, Trout Valley, and Lake in the Hills, and the McHenry County Conservation District.
Funds for the trail project came through the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Project (ITEP) grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation. The ITEP program provides an 80 percent federal/state match with a 20 percent local investment.
IDOT received 218 project applications this year. Cary Park District was among 53 municipalities and only three park districts to receive an award during this grant cycle.
In 2010, Cary Park District received a $546,216 ITEP grant to fund the 1.7-mile Cary Community Trail.