Old Plank Road Trail Chosen As Part Of Great American Route

NEW LENOX, IL — The Old Plank Road Trail in Will and Cook counties has been included in a 3,700-mile Great American Rail-Trail route that was recently announced by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy organization. The Forest Preserve District of Will County said the local path is one of more than 125 trails designated along the "Great American" route, which stretches from Washington, D.C., to Washington state.

The Old Plank Road Trail is a 22-mile trail that travels through Joliet, New Lenox, Frankfort, Matteson, Richton Park, Park Forest and Chicago Heights and is owned and managed by multiple jurisdictions, including the Forest Preserve District of Will County.

The preserve said the Great American route in Illinois also uses the I&M Canal State Trail and the Hennepin Canal Parkway.

"It’s exciting to learn the Old Plank Road Trail was chosen to be part of the Great American Rail-Trail," Ralph Schultz, the Forest Preserve District's chief operating officer, said in a release. "The OPRT was our first rail-trail conversion and would not have been possible without local advocates and volunteers as well as the commitment of our municipal partners in preserving the corridor and funding the development and maintenance of the trail."

The Great American Rail-Trail "will unite millions of people over thousands of miles," Ryan Chao, president of RTC, said in a press release. "This trail is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide – together – an enduring gift to the nation that will bring joy for generations to come."

The organization sought a cross-country route that would provide a high-quality experience for trail users and boost economic and social benefits to the communities it connects, said Liz Thorstensen, vice president of trail development at RTC.

According to the release, RTC analyzed more than 34,000 miles of multi-use trails, reviewed state and local trail plans and held discussions with hundreds of trail partners and state agencies along the route. The route chosen is more than 80 percent, and will be ultimately entirely, off-street and separated from vehicle traffic, and is the most direct route between Washington, D.C., and Washington state. The route travels through 12 states and the District of Columbia.

"We believe the Great American Rail-Trail will be a transformative project for the nation, as it magnifies on a grand scale the benefits that trails have delivered to communities for decades," Chao said. "Whether bridging gaps within and between communities, creating safe walking and biking access to jobs, transit, shopping and green space; or serving as recreation for cyclists, runners and casual daily explorers, this will be America's trail."

The Old Plank Road Trail first opened in 1997, the preserve said. That first trail section stretched from Western Avenue in Park Forest to the Forest Preserve District’s Hickory Creek Preserve – Hickory Creek Junction in Mokena. Subsequent trail additions pushed the path west into New Lenox and Joliet. The most recent extension brought the trail a mile farther east to Chicago Heights for a total trail length of 22 miles.