DuPage River Trail Groundbreaking May 17 in Naperville

Photo: The DuPage River Trail segment that exists now in Knoch Knolls Park near where the extension will be built.

A groundbreaking ceremony for a 1-mile extension of the DuPage River Trail is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 17, in Naperville, according to a press release from the Forest Preserve District of Will County.

Members of the public are welcome to attend the event, which will be held at Knoch Knolls Park, 336 Knoch Knolls Road. Attendees are advised to wear comfortable walking shoes for a short hike from the parking lot across the bicycle/pedestrian bridge to the trail extension site. Following the groundbreaking, the event will conclude with refreshments at Knoch Knolls Nature Center.

The $2.1 million project will extend the asphalt path southwest from Knoch Knolls Park to the 95th Street bridge over the DuPage River. The trail extension is the result of collaboration between the Forest Preserve District and the Naperville Park District.

“This project provides a critical linkage in the DuPage River Trail and will connect several forest preserves, parks and greenways across Naperville, Bolingbrook and Plainfield,” said Ralph Schultz, chief operating officer for the Forest Preserve District. “Running and cycling enthusiasts will be able to travel from the District’s Whalon Lake to its Vermont Cemetery and Riverview Farmstead preserves using this new trail segment, other connecting paths and a short street route.”

The trail extension will become part of a planned 40-mile DuPage River Trail system that is supported by 12 agencies in two counties, Will and DuPage.

“Our community surveys consistently tell us that residents highly value trails for outdoor recreation,” said Ray McGury, executive director of the Naperville Park District. “We are happy to partner with the Forest Preserve District of Will County to extend the DuPage River Trail to connect with other trails and forest preserves.”

Eighty percent of the project’s funding came from a federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation. The Forest Preserve District and the ParkDistrict contributed 20 percent to the cost as well as land for the project.