Boards & Commissions Supporting Documents - 03/11/1999 - Safety Pathway Committeen5 (16, 99 11:(17 $847 439 ()111 NSGA f�un;1 n19
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Salt Creek
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FACTS ABOUT THE SALT CREEK GREENWAY TRAIL
• The property along Salt Creek known as Maple Trail Woods was purchased by the
Elmhurst Perk Distnct between 1965 and 1969 specifically for the purpose of
constructing a linear trail.
The Salt Creek Greenway is designated a "priority greenway' in the Northeastern
Illinois Regional Greenways Plan
• The District's Board of Commissioners first approved a plan to construct a local
bicycle trail along Salt Creek in June 1986 after extensive public hearings. This plan
was not implemented due to lack of funds and concerns from adjacent homeowners
• The regional Salt Creek Greenway Trail concept, originally involving 12 agencies, was
first advanced at a series of meetings beginning in February 1994. The District's
Board of Commissioners approved an intergovernmental agreement to build a
• regional trail in April 9997_ An amended agreement was approved by 9 agencies in
February 1998. An engineering agreement between the 9 partner agencies and BRW
Inc. was signed in Spring 9998 and approved by IDOT in Summer 9998
The current Salt Creek Greenway Trail partners include the Forest Preserve
Districts of Cook and DuPage Counties, ;Brookfield Zoo, Elmhurst and Addison Park
Districts, and the Villages of Addison, Oak Brook, Brookfield, and Lyons
The Salt Creek Greenway Trail is a proposed 30.6 mile -long regional trail that will
extend from the Busse Woods Forest Preserve in NW Cook County, through NE
DuPage County, to the Chicago Portage National Histonc Site at 47th and Harlem.
• Grant funds totaling $923,800 for Phase 1 & 2 Engineering were approved in 1995
through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program (CMAQ) Of this amount,
the federal share is 60% ($739,069), with the remaining 20% ($184,731) contributed
by the local agencies
• At the end of Phase 1 Engineering, tentatively scheduled for 2001, the consultants
will have determined the final trail costs and alignment, and the identifcation of all
areas with environmental concerns, and will have received all necessary Federal,
State, and Local permits.
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• FACTS ABOUT THE SALT CREEK GREFNWAY TRAIL
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• In accordance with grant requirements, the trail must be built to national bicycle trail
standards developed by the Amencan Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials (AASHTO) These standards address all bicycle trail design
considerations including separation between bike paths and roadways, width and
clearance, design speed, grade and alignment, sight distance, intersections, signs
and marking, drainage, pavement structure, and types of use
• Within the Elmhurst Park District, several alignment alternatives are being
investigated - on both sides of Salt Creek. In regard to the trail through Elmhurst
- no alignment decisions have been made yet
- all property to be used for the trail is currently in public ownership
- the trail will not cross private property
- no homes will be condemned or removed to construct the trail
Community benefits of a regional trail along Salt Creek include
potential reduction of auto trips in E DuPage and S Cook Counties
potential improvement in air quality due to traffic reduction
potential for bicycle commuting to employment centers
potential for bicycling to shopping areas
• - potential increase in property values because of trail accessibility
improved ability to accommodate user demands for hiking, biking, rollerblading,
and other forms of linear recreation
• individual benefits of a regional trail along, Salt Creek
- increased access to other trails in a 2,10 mile integrated trail network
Salt Creek Greenway Trail (32 miles)
Illinois Prairie Path (59 miles)
Great Western Trail (12 miles)
* Fox River Trail (56 miles)
* Village of Oak Brook Trails (11 miles)
* Centennial Trail. (20 miles)
* 1 &M Canal Trail (9 miles)
* Busse Woods Trail (11 miles)
- direct connection to recreation areas and facilities
* 15 forest preserves in 2 counties
the world- renowned Brookfield Zoo
" 8 local parks in 5 different communities
* 5 National Historic Register sites and several other historic buildings
renewal of personal energies by recreating in a more natural, less hectic setting
improved physical fitness and personal health
• - observation of plants and animals in diverse local ecosystems