Northern Illinois’ Great Western Trail (GWT) is a non-contiguous, cross-county bike trail that follows three sections of the abandoned Chicago Great Western Railway (CGW).
The 19th Century Class I railroad once bridged the divide between the cities of Chicago, Minneapolis, Omaha, and Kansas City.
When the CGW merged with the Chicago and Northwestern Railway (CNW) in 1968, most of the line’s rail network was abandoned.
In the years since, over 30 miles of the former CGW have been converted into public use biking and hiking trails.
The trail’s older and westernmost branch is 19 miles long and extends from St. Charles to the DeKalb County line.
On Monday, the Sycamore Park District began construction on an approximately .25-mile-long extension connecting Page St. to Old Mill Park.
Sarah Rex is the Sycamore Park District’s Marketing & Outreach Coordinator. She says that while the extension isn’t particularly long, it is fairly significant.
“It connects parks,” she said. “You know, kids will be able to access the middle school now without having to ride on the roadways or sidewalks. It is a small, but mighty piece of trail connection.
The extension, which traverses the Kishwaukee River, is the final segment of a three-phase extension plan that began back in 2017.
A previous extension, completed in 2021, added .8 miles to the route, connecting Sycamore Forest Preserve with Page St.
Construction is anticipated to continue through Sunday, Oct. 4.
Nearby residents and businesses are advised to anticipate trail closures, increased construction traffic, and periodic noise and dust.
Extensions to the trail were made possible through the Illinois Department of Transportation’s (IDOT) Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program.
According to a press release from the Sycamore Park District, state and federal funds provided $3,090,718 to the extension project, covering approximately 75% its funding.
