Wilmette, News

Plans unveiled for potential North Shore Channel Trail extension

Feedback sought on proposed alternatives

(Editor’s Note: This story was reported by Alan K. Cubbage for the Evanston Roundtable, a neighboring independent newsroom. It was shared with The Record as part of an ongoing collaborative effort.)

The Wilmette Park District recently released plans for a potential extension of the North Shore Channel Trail in north Evanston and Wilmette, and the organization is seeking community input on the proposals.

In partnership with the City of Evanston and the Village of Wilmette, the Wilmette Park District is exploring the feasibility of a walking/bicycling trail that would run along the North Shore Channel from Green Bay Road and McCormick Boulevard in Evanston to Sheridan Road near the Bahai Temple in Wilmette.

The recent feasibility study includes possible routes and locations for the trail along with design concepts. Those concepts include a number of potential features, including underpasses, bridges across the channel, bird-watching sites and wetland areas. 

Connection opportunities for the proposed extension.

Pedestrians and cyclists would share the extension, as occurs now on the existing trail.

One option for the extension would have it run on the north and west embankment of the North Shore Channel, while another option proposes building “structural piers” that would elevate the trail above the channel. 

The maps and concept drawings for the project are viewable on the Wilmette Park District’s website.

The park district is seeking feedback on the trail concepts via an online survey, which will be open until Feb. 28. 

The extension would address a 1.5-mile gap in the North Shore Channel Trail, which starts near Lawrence Avenue in Chicago and runs approximately 7 miles north along McCormick Boulevard through Lincolnwood, Skokie and Evanston before ending at Green Bay Road. Building the extension would connect the trail with the bike lanes on Sheridan Road in Wilmette. 

The feasibility study, however, does not include an estimated cost for the project and no funds have been allocated for it, said Alissa Paquette, a parks planner for the Wilmette Park District, in an email. The park district would most likely apply for federal and/or state grants. If funding were unlocked, though no timeline is established, construction would be a few years away, she said. 

The feasibility study, which began last May, is funded by a $40,000 Invest in Cook grant from Cook County. The study is being conducted by Teska Associates, an Evanston community planning and landscape architecture firm, and CBBEL, a Rosemont-based engineering firm. 

The Evanston Transit Alliance and Bike Wilmette, two advocacy groups, have pushed for the feasibility study for several years. ETA President John Fervoy has described the extension as “the ultimate trail connection in our area.” He noted that the study also shows that a connection to the Green Bay Trail via Poplar Avenue is possible. 

“We’re very excited about the potential that the feasibility study beautifully illustrates and look forward to the next steps,” Fervoy said.


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