The DuPage County Board has officially adopted a plan outlining how more than 59 of its 105-mile trail system should be operated and maintained in the future, as well as solidifying the institutions responsible for its upkeep.
Beginning in the 2025 fiscal year, an anticipated $250,000 will be allocated annually, over the next 5 years, for new or improved wayfinding, enhanced pedestrian crossings for safety, public educational and recreational features, invasive species removal and ecosystem improvements, Mary Ozog, Chair of the DuPage County Board Transportation Committee said in an email response to questions from Pioneer Press.
The DuPage County Trails Plan is a follow-up to the 2003 Trails Maintenance Policy, which advised the county’s Department of Transportation (DuDOT) on how to invest in and create a more connected, environmentally friendly, and safe trail system.
“In addition to enhancing trail users’ experience, the plan was also developed to set standards, rules and to set new expectations regarding the quality of this public resource,” Ozog said.
Plans focus on the creation of a framework for the county’s three largest trail networks, the Illinois Prairie Path, the Great Western Trail, and the Southern DuPage County Regional Trail.
The placement of waypoint signs, the restriction of motorized vehicles, and maintenance of native ecology along the trails and that paths remain open and well kept all fall within DuDOT’s responsibilities.
Nothing in the plans suggest the expansion of its trail network but during Feb. 27’s county board meeting suggested the idea is not off the table.
“We don’t have an identified path or trail that we would be looking at, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t the opportunity for something to come along,” county engineer William Eidson said during the meeting.
In a survey conducted by the county in 2021, a majority of respondents said they would like the trails to connect to the Morton Arboretum in Lisle.
A 28-mile East Branch DuPage River Trail, connecting the Illinois Prairie Path to the arboretum is being reviewed after plans received a $1.5 million federal grant last year, which the county has said will be used for engineering and environmental reviews and stakeholder engagement.
“At this time, the Trails Plan does not include the East Branch DuPage River Trail (EBDRT). However, if the EBDRT becomes a part of the DuPage County Trails network, it and any other new trails, would be included in the Plan as part of the trail system,” Ozog said.
