Bridge closed at Geneva forest preserve

Fox River Trail users face an unexpected detour, in the Fabyan Forest Preserve in Geneva.

A concrete bridge that connects the trail from the western bank of the river to an island has started to collapse. The Kane County Forest Preserve District closed it Thursday.

The closure means bicyclists, skaters and walkers have to travel a couple hundred feet north to a causeway to get to the island. The wooden bridge from the island to the eastern shore is open.

The concrete bridge dropped 4 inches at its western end, where it connects to the bridge approach.

The bridge was there when the district bought the site in 1939 from the estate of Nelle Fabyan.

Fabyan and her husband, George, moved to the area in 1909 and bought more than 300 acres of land along the river. The preserve spans the river, from Route 31 on the west to just east of Route 25 on the east. It contains the Fabyan Villa Museum, parts of which were designed by Frank Lloyd Wright; the Fabyan Windmill; a sledding area; and the Japanese Garden. The Web page for the preserve said it is the most heavily used of the district’s sites.

The bridge’s closure makes for the second detour on the Fox River Trail in Geneva. Island Park has been closed several months while the Geneva Park District replaces a bridge. It expects to finish that work by mid-October.