DuPage forest preserve board hires firm to design new Cenacle bridge

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County has taken another step toward replacing a charming but rickety bridge that once led to a religious retreat house.

The district has been awarded more than $1.3 million in federal funding and $250,000 from the state to construct a new bridge over the West Branch of the DuPage River within the Blackwell Forest Preserve.

Forest preserve commissioners have hired Christopher B. Burke Engineering to complete the first and second phases of engineering design for the project. The contract with the firm is expected to cost up to $479,010.

Officials decided not to use grant money for that work. Instead, the district will pay for Phase 1 and Phase 2 engineering services with its own funds.

“This will allow us to hopefully expedite the design process,” said Kevin Horsfall, the district’s planning and development director.

The bridge historically offered access to a religious retreat house run by the Cenacle Sisters, a Catholic community of women religious. Though the center was demolished years ago, the bridge became part of Blackwell’s Cenacle Trail, which connects Batavia Road with the regional West Branch DuPage River Trail system. It features white X handrails.

“I know it’s a really important bridge to the community and people enjoy the ornateness of that bridge,” DuPage County Forest Preserve President Daniel Hebreard said during a recent planning session.

Hebreard hopes to include some kind of art and design into the sides and the handrail areas of the new structure so that, when completed, it’s a “beautiful bridge and not quite the cookie cutter standard that we have most places.”

A sub-consultant is tasked with preparation of historic documentation for the Cenacle bridge. Burke, in turn, will review the sub-consultant’s reports and incorporate its recommendations into the design, according to the firm’s proposal.

The district previously aimed to repair the existing bridge. However, bid prices were “significantly higher than expected,” documents state. Officials determined the best course of action was to replace the bridge. The district also has said the structure is deteriorating beyond routine maintenance.

The district estimates that construction could potentially begin in 2027.