A Peek Into the Future of Lisle Cycling

Walkers and bicyclists looking to expand their horizons have something new to celebrate. On Oct. 29 the Illinois Department of Transportation announced a that would begin construction on a local section of the East Branch DuPage River Greenway Trail.

Falling between Hobson Road and Maple Avenue, the 5.4-mile multi-use trail will work to connect the villages of Lisle and Woodridge with regional attractions. The 31-mile east branch is one of eight sections of the county's overall plan.

Once completed, a cyclist can hop on the Greenway Trail and swing past 29 local parks, ten forest preserve areas and 18 colleges.

But there's still a lot of work to be done before the trail can be complete. Check out what's been completed, what's been funded and where Woodridge and Lisle stand on bikeway trails. 

This project is an intergovernmental effort between the DuPage County Forest Preserve District, and Woodridge and Lisle governments and park districts. The path connects the Southern DuPage County Regional Trail with the proposed Benedictine Connector, a network that will allow cyclists to travel north through Lisle with minimal contact with automobile traffic. Construction will begin in 2012.

According to Deborah Jan Fagan, DuPage County Trail System Coordinator, work on the Greenway Trail has already been completed on segments of Green Valley Forest Preserve in Naperville and Churchill Woods in Glen Ellyn. She said the Hobson Road trail is one of three projects currently in the engineering phase.

Woodridge already has a fairly comprehensive system of bike paths in place, steadily adding to its infrastructure since the early 1990's. The village's bike map shows 34 miles of mostly off-road trails that connect to another 100 miles of regional trails for both DuPage and Will counties. There's only one prominent gap: between Seven Bridges and the Summerhill Triangle west of 63rd Street Park.

Lisle doesn't fare as well. According to Josh Potter, village of Lisle planner, Route 53, Maple Avenue and Ogden Avenue present high-traffic roadblocks to cyclists and pedestrians, with virtually no activated pedestrian signals. Trails throughout neighborhoods are extensive, but disjointed from each other.

Woodridge's Bikeway System Map showed there was an opportunity to connect the two villages along Route 53/Summerhill Drive, between the Seven Bridges commercial complex and the Four Lakes residential community. Both areas lead to prime recreational destinations, including the Seven Bridges Golf Course and Four Lakes ski area.

According to the county's executive summary, a combination of on- and off-street pathways will bridge this gap and create a small system of trails in Hickory Grove.

Once in Lisle, the trail runs through the Four Lakes and Green Trails neighborhoods where they can access either Benedictine University or existing trails in Community Park. The trails will lead through downtown to Lisle's Metra Station, or further north to the Morton Arboretum and trails in Wheaton.

Potter said improvements would still need to be made to Route 53—including implementing pedestrian signals, installing sidewalks on both sides of the road, and increasing signage. The East Branch will include a pedestrian bridge across Route 53, but funding will not be available until 2013 or 2014.

However, he said that the villages are being "opportunistic" in finding funding. Federal grants cover 75 percent of costs, with the villages and park district sharing local expenses.

LISLE CONNECTIONS
To Downers Grove: The village pinpointed two areas intersecting with I-355, at Hitchcock Avenue and Warrenville Road, that would safely allow pedestrian traffic to cross into Downers Grove.

To Naperville: Green Trails and Naper Boulevard, where the neighborhood meets Naperville's border. Should Naperville extend a second bike path on the west side of College Road at Hobson Road. This connection would also connect the two towns to the county forest preserve trails.

To Wheaton: The village is proposing a trail on Leask Lane… the northern portion of the Benedictine Connector would also connect residents to the Danada Forest Preserve and provide a safe way to enter the Morton Arboretum at its Route 53 entrance