Christopher B. Burke Engineering designs new North Branch Trail

Users of the new North Branch Trail will now be able to enjoy a mile more of the multiuse path near the Chicago Botanic Garden. The path, designed by a team led by Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd. (CBBEL) in Rosemont, will connect the North Branch Trail with the Green Bay Trail at the Braeside Metra Station in Highland Park.

The new one-mile trail is located within and adjacent to the grounds of the Chicago Botanic Garden and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. Both agencies and IDOT partnered to bring this project to fruition. In addition, Pam Sielski from the District was instrumental in guiding the design team. The path is generally located along the East Service Drive of the Chicago Botanic Garden and then along the south side of Lake Cook Road between the East Service Drive and Green Bay Trail.

“We are proud to be part of making this exciting connection between the regional trails,” said Christopher B. Burke, PhD, PE, D.WRE, President of Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd. “The additional mile of this path is a crucial part to connecting our trail system. Even though we faced some challenges with plant life in the area, we took great steps to make sure the impact was minimal to the wetlands and endangered species in the area.”

The $2 million project, funded largely with $1.65 million from the Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program, and the Litowitz Family Foundation, connects two important Forest Preserves of Cook County properties, Turnbull Woods and the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Part of the project included minimizing the impact to high quality wetlands, threatened and endangered plant species and valuable Oak, Hickory and Walnut trees. In locations where wetland crossings were impractical to avoid, diamond pier boardwalks with steel cable handrails and stone retaining walls were designed to eliminate placing fill in the high quality wetlands. A translocation plan also was developed to safely transplant all plants in danger of being impacted to other locations within the garden.

In addition, CBBEL worked with their subconsultant, Altamanu, to develop a tree root protection detail to protect valuable trees in close proximity to the path.

The asphalt path will be 10 feet wide with a shoulder of two feet of gravel. The asphalt paths were created using recycled aggregates and shingles, and all of the topsoil was stockpiled on site and reused.

“The North Branch Trail provides the missing link in a trail system that runs some 30 miles from Lake Bluff into the city of Chicago,” said Arnold Randall, general superintendent of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. “The trail will offer cyclists a safer alternative to Lake Cook Road and will give pedestrians new view of the Garden, an experience we think everyone will enjoy.”

Improvements also were made to the signal at the intersection of Lake Cook Road and Green Bay Road. Pedestrian push buttons, high visibility crosswalks and large sidewalk landings were included in the modification to the IDOT signal.