Illinois Prairie Path bridge to mark 100 years of service

A quarter century ago, several dozen Illinois Prairie Path volunteers united to restore a Wheaton bridge.

Sunday, champions of the Illinois Prairie Path will celebrate Volunteer Bridge's 100th anniversary.

At the annual meeting of the not-for-profit organization's board of directors, Jean and Paul Mooring of Glen Ellyn will remind others about the history of the overpass at Carlton Street and Liberty Drive.

"(The bridge) was extremely important to the Prairie Path because it connected all three of the main sections of the paths," Jean Mooring said. "By restoring the bridge, we eliminated a very dangerous portion of the path right there in the middle of Wheaton where we had to cross city streets all the time."

The bridge is where the Aurora and Elgin branches meet the main stem of the popular walking and biking trail.

In 1983, a local engineer organized a group of volunteers to work on the historic bridge over the Union Pacific railroad in downtown Wheaton. Over the course of about a year, residents used steel and wood to fix up the bridge. With almost all materials donated, the construction cost about $25,000 for a project that would have otherwise cost $250,000.

DuPage County officials plan to widen the Prairie Path portion of the bridge next year.

"We're just so proud of ourselves for doing this," Mooring said. "Nobody can believe that ordinary people actually did this."

Wheaton's Director of Engineering Paul Redman said the project that involves raising and widening the Prairie Path at Volunteer Bridge and another bridge located at Wesley and Manchester will go out to bid in the spring and begin soon after. The county expects to pay about $875,000 to complete the project.

If you go

What: Illinois Prairie Path's annual board meeting

When: 2 p.m. Sunday

Where: Lombard Community Building, 433 E. St. Charles Road, Lombard

Cost: Free

Details: Visit www.ipp.org or call (630) 424-8851