Hickory Creek Bikeway in Mokena to Close for Repairs

Caption: A new bridge will be installed and asphalt will be repaired this fall on the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Hickory Creek Bikeway in Mokena. A portion of the eastern branch of the bikeway will be closed for several weeks starting Oct. 27. The western branch of the trail in New Lenox will remain open.

A portion of the eastern branch of the Hickory Creek Bikeway in Mokena will close briefly for repairs this fall.

The trail will close on Oct. 27 from Hickory Creek south to the Frankfort Township Office at Route 30. It will reopen several weeks later after the project is completed. A new bridge will be installed over a Hickory Creek tributary close to Route 30, and asphalt will either be repaired or replaced along the trail. The western branch of the trail in New Lenox will remain open during this time.

The repairs were made possible by funding from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the District’s Pavement and Infrastructure Maintenance and Repair Program.

The eastern branch of Hickory Creek Bikeway, which was built in 1997, is one of the most popular trails in the District because a majority of the trail is surrounded by woods and there are few traffic worries, said Ralph Schultz, the Forest Preserve’s director of planning and operations.

“It’s picturesque,” Schultz said. “The trail crosses over the main stem and a couple of tributaries of Hickory Creek. It links our LaPorte Road Access with our Environmental Learning Center and the Frankfort Township Hall.”

Links to a Village of Mokena trail to the north and the 21-mile Old Plank Road Trail to the south make the Hickory Creek Bikeway a great option for recreation and transportation, Schultz said.

“People can just jump on the trail and go,” he said.

For more information on the Hickory Creek Bikeway project or the Forest Preserve District’s 127-miles of trails, visit ReconnectWithNature.org.

—Submitted by Forest Preserve District of Will County