With the official ribbon cutting on October 7, the trail connection linking the 3.26 mile Centennial Trail and the 11 mile I&M Canal Trail is now open for public use.
This new connection, made possible by a generous grant from CITGO, wraps along and under the 135th Street bridge on the east side of the canal, and links 14.5 miles of continuous, scenic pathway, allowing travel from Lemont to Joliet. While the project itself is in Romeoville, the grant money donated by CITGO was cooperatively used by the Village of Romeoville, the City of Lockport, and the Forest Pre-serve District of Will County to develop the connection. The project includes new walkways and curbs, street graphics, a parking area, benches, a bike repair station, directional signage, new landscaping, and a mural under the bridge. Funds have been set aside to maintain the connection, and a future expansion also calls for a branch of the path to connect to the Romeoville Metra station.
“This is a fantastic example of a public-private partnership that has helped us to enhance our community’s trail system,” said Romeoville Mayor John Noak. “I can’t thank our project partners enough for their cooperation.”…