Will County forest preserve Commissioner Chuck Maher speaks Tuesday during a groundbreaking ceremony for the a project to extend the DuPage River Trail south from Knoch Knolls park to the 95th Street bridge over the DuPage River. The extension will become part of the 40-mile DuPage River Trail system.
Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com
The DuPage River Trail is about to get a mile longer.
Officials broke ground Tuesday on an extension of the path from Knoch Knolls park to the 95th Street bridge over the DuPage River. The southwest extension of the asphalt trail will link several parks, forest preserves and greenways across Naperville, Bolingbrook and Plainfield.
The Will County Forest Preserve District and Naperville Park District are collaborating on the $2.1 million project, which is being funded largely by a federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
When completed, the new milelong trail segment will join the rest of the 40-mile DuPage River Trail in DuPage and Will counties.
Park district officials say residents place high value on outdoor trails for recreation when they respond to community surveys, and the Knoch Knolls area already is popular with cyclists and runners.
Forest preserve officials say the new trail will provide "critical linkage" between outdoor sites such as the Whalon Lake, Vermont Cemetery and Riverview Farmstead preserves.
Cyclists Jeff Naumann and Don Dunfee look over a map showing where a new stretch of the DuPage River Trail is soon to be installed between Knoch Knolls park in Naperville and the 95th Street bridge over the DuPage River at the border with Bolingbrook.
Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com
An opening in the tree line marks where a trail connection between Knoch Knolls park in Naperville and the 95th Street bridge over the DuPage River at the Bolingbrook border will be built. Officials broke ground on the one-mile, $2.1 million extension Tuesday.
Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com
Naperville Park District and the Will County Forest Preserve District have posted a map showing where an extension to the DuPage River Trail will be built.
Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com
A map along the DuPage River Trail in Knoch Knolls park shows where a new trail connection will be built. Officials broke ground Tuesday on the one-mile, $2.1 million extension.
Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com