As it is today.

In celebration of its centennial back in 1988-89, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago led the Centennial Trail’s establishment and its first stages of development, dedicating 1000 acres along the Sanitary & Ship Canal and the Des Plaines River without cost to the Forest Preserve Districts for the trail. They had a clear goal of completing the trail to the historic portage site at 47th St. and Harlem Ave., and from there on to Navy Pier, past the second project of their centennial celebration: the water jets over the Chicago River. A charming Sun-Times article from November 20, 1989, claimed the entire trail would be finished in three years. (Swoon!)

You can read other news clippings from the Centennial Trail’s dedication here (thanks to the Canal Corridor Association and Openlands for daylighting these).

Note that this was before the federal 1991 Clean Air Act which set aside billions of dollars over the ensuing 20+ years for trail development. Trail building took partnership and initiative, and the MWRD led the way. 

The Centennial Trail closure is the MWRD’s time to lead again. A resurgent Forest Preserve District of Cook County, now developing its Trails Master Plan, is the perfect partner to turn the Centennial Trail closure into a massive regional trail win, without adding time or cost to the McCook Reservoir expansion project. By granting an easement to the Forest Preserve District for trail development, the MWRD can clear the way for the Centennial’s extension to the portage site when the McCook Reservoir overburden project is finished in 2016. The portage site is also the Salt Creek Trail’s southeastern trail head, which connects to Woodfield Mall. 

A three-year trail closure can become a 50-mile suburban trail connection between Joliet and Schaumburg. This is EXACTLY the kind of win-win-win collaboration that has characterized the MWRD’s projects in the past. Think the SEPA station parks along the Cal-Sag, or the original Centennial Trail. The agency has a history of reaching out beyond its own immediate needs to benefit us in ways beyond managing our sewers

“This is an excellent example of four governments coming together in a non-traditional way,” said MWRD Commissioner Joanne Alter, the chair of the Centennial Committee in 1989. It’s time to establish partnership as a new tradition.

Photo above—the Centennial Trail in the Southwest Chicago suburbs, June 2012…

…and now, bottom photo, for the next two years.

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago has shut down the Centennial Trail, a federally funded transportation facility as well as a popular trail, from Willow Springs Road in Willow Springs to Rte. 83 in Lemont. They’re making important improvements to the Sanitary & Ship Canal, but they need to tell the public about the closure, and they need to help trail users get through the construction or define a safe way for them to detour around it. 

We’ve asked them to fix this. You should ask them as well.

The MWRD is a powerful and willing trail building partner in the Chicago region. With Spring at hand, there is urgency for them to do a better job here.

Write to the MWRD’s public affairs office. Request that the MWRD work with the Forest Preserve District of Cook County to:

1. Notify the public about the trail closure.
2. Provide a temporary trail facility throughout the closure, if possible.
3. If a temporary facility isn’t feasible, publicly post a detour route, and post the detour information on the closure gates. Make reasonable safety and awareness improvements—signs, pavement repair—to the detour route to help trail users stay oriented and safe.
4. Restore the Centennial Trail to fully operational condition when the work is complete, using the opportunity to install amenities like benches, water fountains, and more views of the water to encourage more use of the trail. 

The I&M Canal Trail parallels the Centennial on the other side of the canal. It’s the obvious detour route, but will require many trail users to negotiate the formidable bridges bookending the trail at Rte. 83 and Willow Springs Road, neither friendly to trail users, by foot or bike.

I wrote to the MWRD this week—feel free to crib any of these points to add to your own:

“The Centennial Trail is a very popular trail (as evidenced by two people finding the sign during a truly crummy weather week!). It’s made the Lemont trailhead a popular destination, and provides health infrastructure and non-polluting transportation to the communities near it, including Metra stations at Lemont and Willow Springs. The trail has also become an important economic engine for tiny Willow Springs where it helps to support condo sales (not kidding!), a grocery store, a coffee house and a bike shop at Willow Springs Road and Archer Avenue. And since the death of a high school cross country runner crossing 104th St. on the Palos trail system, the Centennial —which passes roads below grade—has become important to area schools. A two-year closure will be a significant, unwelcome hit.”

(Thanks to John Hensler and Joe at 2Bici for before and now photos, respectively) 

There’s beauty all over the state’s trails right now—okay, any day we can get out and move through the outdoors is pretty great. But gardener & TforI follower Gloria and her husband are telling you to not miss this. Her photos are from the Tinley Creek Trail and Salt Creek Trail, part of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County’s trail network. 

What trails near you are on fire?

What’s your favorite trail in the late summer/early fall?

Trails for Illinois helps to build trails that return on the Triple Bottom LIne—economic impact, health & wellness, and environmental sustainability. That often means large trails and systems that connect to one or more communities.

But sometimes, the little one mile connector can create a lollapalooza Triple Bottom Line effect when it connects the right thing, like two regional trails. Go Wilmette & FPD of Cook County!