North Shore Villages Discuss Skokie Valley Trail Expansion Plans

GLENVIEW, IL — Four North Shore villages are hosting a joint open house Wednesday to discuss the extension of the Skokie Valley Trail to connect bicycle paths from Lake County to Chicago. The public event is scheduled for 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Glenview Village Hall at 2500 E. Lake Ave.

The trail currently extends 10 miles south from Lake Bluff to Dundee Road in Northbrook, before picking up for two additional miles in Skokie. A proposed extension to the path would run along land controlled by ComEd, Union Pacific railroad and the village of Northfield.

If completed, the long-sought extension to the trail would establish a connection through Glenview, Northfield, Skokie and Wilmette, according a release. It would create a 10-foot-wide, shared-use path from Voltz Road in Northbrook on the north and Old Orchard Road in Skokie to the south.

An engineering study for the project was funded with a $188,000 grant from the Invest in Cook program, with the another $102,000 divided up between Glenview, Northfield, Skokie and Wilmette. The project report from consultants Baxter & Woodman was completed in January for the Illinois Department of Transportation.

According to the report, the trail could cross several major arterial roads and align with adjacent intersections: Willow Road would be crossed at Happ Road and Central Avenue; Winnetka Road could be crossed at an existing crosswalk at Northfield Road; a traffic signal would be added at East Lake Avenue and West Park Drive; a crossing would be added in the middle of a block of Glenview Road near Laramie Avenue; the trail would cross Old Orchard Road at Woods Drive with an existing signal and a new pedestrian bridge would be built over the Skokie River just east and parallel to an existing Union Pacific Railroad bridge.

The four North Shore communities have been working on closing the nearly 7-mile gap in bike trails between Kenosha County and Chicago for more than a decade. Efforts hit a snag when an application for a $6.8 million "rail-to-trail" grant was denied. Since then, the villages established an intergovernmental agreement to seek grant funding from Cook County.

The current price tag for the project totals nearly $4.3 million, including the cost of continued engineering studies and final construction, permits, easements and right-of-way acquisitions, according to village officials, who plan to continue to seek federal funding.

The project team, as well as staff from the four north Cook County villages, will be on hand at Wednesday's open house. After the meeting, a design study of the first phase of construction would begin. Those unable to attend the meeting or interested in providing further feedback or comments on the proposal may submit them to SkokieValleyTrail@glenview.il.us by June 14.

Earlier:

• Village Looks to ComEd For Land Rights For Skokie Valley Trail
• Plan To Improve Biking, Walking In Northbrook Taking Shape
• Final Pieces Of Touhy Overpass To Be Installed Sunday Night