McDowell Grove Forest Preserve will soon be closing for construction.
Plans are in place to replace the preserve’s 60-year old single lane bridge with a new, two lane bridge with a separated pedestrian lane.
Heavy machinery will be needed for the demolition of the old bridge and construction of the new one, meaning that parts of the preserve will be closed, including the parking lot, picnic shelter, and portions of the West Branch of the DuPage River Trail.
“By allowing us to completely close these sections for a short period of time, we can shorten the actual construction window so we can get the work done sooner. It also reduces our construction costs, so we don’t have the contractor stage multiple times, and in the end, that’s a saving to the taxpayers,” said Kevin Horsfall, Manager of Planning with the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.
While the main entrance and parking lot is closed, much of McDowell Grove will remain open to those who enter on one of the trails – just steer clear of the construction zone.
For those hiking the regional West Branch of the DuPage River Trail, a 6.8 mile detour has been planned, details for which are available on the district’s website.
Construction should be completed by this December.
Naperville News 17’s Blane Erwin reports.
