Archive for February, 2010
Congrats to a new GIT Trail Blazer!
Congratulations to our newest GIT Trail Blazer-Bernd Von Sosen of Elgin, IL. What’s a GIT Trail Blazer you say? Complete the Grand Illinois Trail and visit all of the checkpoints and send a journal to the Illlinois Department of Natural Resources and YOU can be a Trail Blazer too!
Proposed bike path would connect Oak Lawn and Cal-Sag
The Reporter Online
Oak Lawn officials are attempting to pedal the village closer to its goal of becoming a sustainable community that encourages and enables active living.
The Village Board on Jan. 26 saw and heard a comprehensive bicycle plan created by the Active Transportation Alliance. Steven Buchtel, Active Trans’ Southland coordinator, presented a 31-page plan and PowerPoint overview at a meeting attended by many avid area bicyclers.
Oak Lawn hired Active Trans, formerly the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, in 2008 to put the plan together at a cost of $10,000.
Adopting the plan would make Oak Lawn sustainable and “green” in a couple of different ways, according to Buchtel.
“It’s sustainable on at least two fronts,” he said. “One from an energy conservation standpoint, and secondly from an economic standpoint.
“Obviously, the more car trips you can replace with a non-motorized trip — biking or walking, the lower a community’s carbon footprint will be.”
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Sangamon Valley Trail to open 2011
By TIM LANDIS (tim.landis@sj-r.com)
THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
Posted Feb 03, 2010 @ 10:45 AM
The Sangamon Valley Trail should open in the spring or summer of 2011 local transportation and park district officials said at a press conference today outlining a construction schedule for the nearly $3.6 million project.
“Trails are one of the most challenging opportunities we put together, but they are worth it,” said Springfield Park District president Leslie Sgro said during an announcement held at the south end of the trail in Centennial Park.
The 5.5-mile trail will connect Stuart Park and Centennial Park along an old railroad bed on the west side of Sangamon County.
The cost includes nearly $2.9 million from federal economic-stimulus money, $568,000 from the county and $150,000 from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
County highway engineer Tim Zahrn said bid-letting is scheduled for April 23 with construction starting about four to six weeks later.
“It’s estimated it’s about a yearlong project, starting early to mid-construction season. It’ll carry over to 2011, so we’re looking at spring or early summer of 2011 (to open),” said Zahrn. He added that the work includes conversion of five former railroad bridges, similar to the work done on the Interurban and Wabash trails.
While no immediate funding is available, Sgro said the district next would begin to look at ways to connect existing recreation trails in the city and county. The park district will take over the Sangamon Valley Trail once it is completed.
“Not only will this create jobs. It’ll be a regional draw for tourism,” said Sgro.
Copyright 2010 The State Journal-Register. Some rights reserved.
