Two pedestrian bridges installed Monday in Palatine

Two new pedestrian bridges were installed Monday over Salt Creek in Palatine, marking a big improvement to the Palatine Trail system.

The previous 40-year-old bridges had wood rot and were at the end of their intended life span.

Schaefge Brothers contractors had the bridges in place in about five hours. The structures weighed 13,000 and 11,000 pounds without the concrete decking. One bridge was positioned over the creek, just west of Hicks Road south of E. Rimini Court, and the other is just north of the Palatine Public Library.

The Palatine Park District received a $200,000 state grant for the project, which includes improvements to the bicycle and pedestrian trails that connect areas within and bordering the village, such as Deer Grove Forest Preserve.

The 25-mile Palatine path links to surrounding communities and is part of Illinois Bike Trails and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning's regional greenways and trails.

Superintendent of Parks and Planning Jim Holder said the project is moving along well, and Monday's installation went smoothly. There is more work to be done, he added.

"Concrete decking and entries need to be poured, retaining walls to be installed on both sides of the creek (and) new asphalt paving to be installed after all the work is completed," Holder said.

Park board commissioners approved the $708,031 project. With the $200,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the park district's cost is $508,031.