Elgin trail bridge repair on track for summer finish

Fixing the foot-and-bicycle bridge over Poplar Creek on the Fox River Trail in Elgin hit another snag this spring, but should finally be done “this summer,” a Kane County Forest Preserve Commission committee learned Thursday from the district’s executive director.

“What summer? This summer?” quipped Commissioner Mike Kenyon.

His attitude is understandable. The bridge, near Raymond Street, has been closed since 2008. That’s when one of its footings washed out, as well as part of the shoreline and the trail. It has taken five years to design a repair, and get the work approved by several parties, including the Army Corps of Engineers, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Kane-DuPage Soil and Water Conservation District.

A contract was let in February.

Due to poor soil to a depth of 40 feet, the footings and abutments will now be driven-steel piles, instead of the previous concrete pillars.

The committee Thursday approved changes in the specifications for the steel. Neither the contractor nor the district could find a supply of steel in the thickness called for by the engineer. Meyers said it is a “unique” gauge that is rolled as infrequently as every five years. A different thickness will be used.