Accessibility along Naperville Riverwalk improved after $3 million project

Naperville officials are celebrating the completion of improvements to the Eagle Street gateway along the Riverwalk in the city’s downtown.

As part of the $3 million project, access between the Riverwalk and the lower walkway was improved with two grand staircases and a wheelchair-accessible ramp. It also added native plantings to help highlight the colorful Landforms sculpture.

In addition, the project created a second point for street-level access, eliminating the need for patrons using the lower walkway to turn around and exit the same way they came.

“Not only does this project improve accessibility for people with disabilities or families with strollers, but it also dramatically improves the appearance of this highly visible section of the Riverwalk,” said Geoff Roehll, chairman of the 2031 Master Plan Fund committee.

Officials pursued the project after a former Naperville resident approached the Naperville Riverwalk Commission in 2008 to advocate for better accessibility for wheelchair users, like her daughter, at the Eagle Street entrance.

The project allows residents an additional access point to the lower walkway.

Previously, Riverwalk patrons who accessed the lower walkway on the north side of the river had to turn around and retrace their steps after a 1,000-foot walk to a dead end.

The East Gateway improvements adds to the Riverwalk’s charm, officials said, noting the iconic attraction has served as the backdrop for numerous family photo sessions, wedding proposals and prom pictures.

“For more than 44 years, the Riverwalk has been Naperville’s gathering place along the DuPage River, built by our neighbors so future generations could make memories,” Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli said. “Our job now is to be good stewards of what they started and to make sure everyone can enjoy it.

“The new Eagle Street gateway does exactly that by adding safer, more accessible connections while improving the look and feel of this stretch of the Riverwalk,” Wehrli added.

The Eagle Street gateway project was funded in part by a $900,000 federal grant awarded through U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, who noted Friday that he and his wife often walk the Riverwalk and take in the views. It is part of a larger plan for improvements along the Riverwalk. The Riverwalk 2031 Master Plan outlines improvements and trail additions totaling about $13.5 million.

Naperville will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Riverwalk, which was built in 1981, in 2031.

Other planned improvements along the Riverwalk include an extension along Hillside that will link the Riverwalk to Endeavor Health Edward Hospital and another extension near Fredenhagen Park that will link to North Central College.

When the trail extensions are complete, the Riverwalk, which currently is roughly 3.5 miles long, will stretch nearly 4 miles throughout Naperville and its downtown district.

“The Riverwalk is kind of the glue that holds downtown together,” Roehll said, adding the pathway takes patrons through nature, various businesses and now will link to two major institutions — North Central College and Endeavor Health Edward Hospital.

For more information about the 2031 Riverwalk master plan, visit the city of Naperville’s website.