HISTORY
In its entirety, the East Branch DuPage River Trail (EBDRT) is a planned 28-mile regional trail in central DuPage County, intended as a multi-use trail in the vicinity of the East Branch DuPage River (EBDR). See figure to left where you can scroll or zoom into any areas of interest.
The north-south trail was first conceptualized in the 1970s as an off-street non-motorized pathway, connecting isolated pockets of forest preserves with parks, waterways, and several municipalities.
The EBDRT is recognized as a planned regional trail by multiple regional bikeway plans, including the DuPage County Regional Bikeway Plan and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning Northeastern Illinois Regional Greenways and Trails Plan.
PURPOSE
The EBDRT is part of a long-range plan which envisions a network of continuous greenway and trail corridors, linked across jurisdictions, providing scenic beauty, natural habitat, and recreational and transportation opportunities.
According to the Active Transportation Alliance, Trails promote walking, biking, and other non-motorized activities to create healthy, sustainable, and equitable communities. Trails encourage more people to walk and bike for transportation by providing community residents with an inexpensive and low-stress transportation corridor.
Beyond their role as transportation corridors, trails also provide other benefits for communities like enhancing the environment, contributing to improved public health and driving local economic development.
Since trails provide low-stress environments that encourage people to walk and bike as everyday transportation, a well-connected and well-designed trail network can be used by any group of residents regardless of age, socioeconomic status, or one’s physical abilities.
PROJECT GOALS
Maximize recreational benefits
Support multi-modal travel
Improve Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety
Use natural setting near river, if possible
Achieve low-impact and cost-effective solution
PRE-PHASE I STUDY SUMMARY
The EBDRT covers a very large area and dynamic land use; all with different issues, needs, and goals to coordinate with many different stakeholders and agencies. A pre-Phase I corridor study was completed before launching Phase I Engineering and Environmental Studies (Phase I Studies), to properly frame EBDRT corridors and identify major constraints, stakeholders, and agencies within those boundaries. See figure to right where you can scroll or zoom into any areas of interest.
Based on its large study area and scope, the pre-phase I study concluded with a recommendation to carry forward two separate and distinct Phase I Studies. Both have logical termini and independent utility.