EBDRT from St. Charles Road to the Illinois Prairie Path (North) Project
About
The DuPage County Division of Transportation (DuDOT) is leading a project for the East Branch DuPage River Trail from St. Charles Road to the Illinois Prairie Path. This project is near Phase I Study completion during which environmental and engineering studies were conducted for agency coordination.
Involved agencies include:
Forest Preserve District
of DuPage County
(FPDDC)
Village of Lombard
(Lombard)
Commonwealth
Edison
(ComEd)
Union Pacific Railroad
(UPRR)
Glenbard Wastewater Authority
(GWA)
Village of Glen Ellyn
(Glen Ellyn)
Illinois Tollway
(Tollway)
This project will start the Phase II Study soon during which agency final approval will occur. The project team welcomes input on the proposed improvement plan. See Get Involved or the Contact webpage to share your thoughts.
Project Location and Purpose
This project will extend the EBDRT approximately 1.3 miles south from St. Charles Road to the Illinois Prairie Path (IPP).
The east Churchill Woods parking lot serves as a trailhead to the EBDRT. The existing EBDRT north of St. Charles Road is accessible to this parking lot via an existing St. Charles Road underpass just west of I-355. Trail users may park at the Churchill Wood parking lot trailhead and travel either north along the existing EBDRT to connect to the Great Western Trail or south along the new EBDRT to connect to the IPP and the greater regional bicycle network and community destinations.
The trail will immerse users through a high-quality forested ecosystem to the banks of the East Branch DuPage River (EBDR), then follow the EBDR river's meandering riparian wetland edge to Crescent Boulevard. The Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) poses a barrier to staying along the river. In a successful collaboration with the Illinois Tollway, the trail is able to go around this barrier. The trail avoids major detours by traveling east to the I-355 underpass to pass under Crescent Boulevard, the UPRR, and Hill Avenue before returning west to the EBDR and climbing to meet the IPP at-grade. See the Preferred Alternative section for more details on the alignment.
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Project Milestones
Illinois Tollway Coordination | 2022-2023
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Identified I-355 Underpass as preliminary preferred alternative to cross under UPRR
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Resulted in Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a detailed I-355 underpass alternative evaluation
Phase I Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Studies | 2024-2026
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Collect data and evaluate existing conditions
-
Identify preliminary route through FPDDC and GWA property
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Evaluate near-term improvements on I-355
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Consider Tollway operations and potential future I-355 conditions
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Hold Public Information Meeting to gain stakeholder input on preferred alternative
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UPRR, FPDDC, Villages, GWA, Tollway, and ComEd concurrence
Phase II Design Engineering | 2027 - 2028
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Obtain final approvals for design and engineering plans
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Acquire land and/or lease agreements from UPRR, COMED, and Tollway.
Phase III Construction | TBD
-
The construction start date will depend on plan readiness, funding availability, and the status of any needed land acquisition
ALTERNATIVES
The EBDRT alignment through Churchill Woods and the Glenbard Wastewater Authority property were coordinated with the involved agencies and designed to meet the project goals:
Safely connect the GWT to the IPP
Provide a user-friendly community asset
Preserve high-quality ecosystems
Combine with existing maintenance and access roads where possible
Maximize recreational benefits by balancing river proximity and flooding
Minimize new structures and wetland impacts
Preferred Alternative
From north to south, the preferred alternative includes:
-
Start EBDRT construction at its north termini at the Churchill Woods existing trailhead
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Continue south along existing trails and access roads within Forest Preserve and COMED properties
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Modify the I-355 slope wall to pass under the Crescent Boulevard, Union Pacific Railroad, and Hill Avenue bridges along the west side of I-355
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Continue west along Hill Avenue and then south next to the Glenbard Wastewater Authority (GWA) access road
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Connect with the existing GWA access road to meet the Illinois Prairie Path at-grade at its south termini
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The project team is exploring amenities and opportunities to improve user experience. For example, the northwest corner of the EBDRT and IPP trails' crossing may include wayfinding or informational signage. We appreciate your input if you would like to share additional ideas. See the Get Involved section for ways to provide trail design feedback.
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GET INVOLVED
Public involvement is essential as it allows stakeholders to provide input that addresses community concerns. Here are a few ways to stay involved and informed:
Revisit this Website
Learn about the project, download documents, or submit a comment.
Attend the Meeting
A public information meeting will be held to gain stakeholder feedback on the proposed improvement plan. Details are still being determined and will be posted on this website.
Add a Public Comment
If you have questions or comments, please visit the Contact page.
A project of the DuPage County Division of Transportation (DuDOT)
421 N. County Farm Road
Wheaton, IL 60187
Phone: (630) 407-6900