Trail reopens near Warrenville
The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County announced Monday that the West Branch DuPage River Trail through Blackwell Forest Preserve near Warrenville has reopened.
It is part of the $7.5 million Spring Brook Creek restoration project, which began in April 2019. Spring Brook is a tributary of the West Branch of the DuPage River.
The trail has been rerouted and moved to higher ground to prevent frequent flooding. A gravel service road from Mack Road will be paved in the next few weeks, and crews will be managing the newly planted native vegetation along the trail and waterway.
The work is funded by the Illinois Tollway to mitigate effects from rebuilding the central Tri-State Tollway (I-294). The overall restoration project connects the creek to the floodplain, which allows it to filter and temporarily store stormwater. It also removed a dam to allow fish and mussels to move upstream, and replaced a deteriorating bridge.
For more information, visit dupageforest.org.