Forest Preserve Receives Over $4M In State Grants For Trail Project

BOLINGBROOK, IL — The Forest Preserve District of Will County will receive state funding for two planned projects in Bolingbrook as part of the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program grants announced on Wednesday.

The preserve will receive $1,640,800 for the DuPage River Greenway Trail - Weber Road improvements; and $2,965,440 for the DuPage River Greenway Trail north-south trail construction, according to IDOT, which administers the grants.

The forest preserve said both grants are for the Weber Road extension of the DuPage River Trail.

The project includes the construction of two paved off-street trails, a pedestrian bridge and an elevated boardwalk. The northern limit of the project is the existing DuPage River Trail within DuPage River Park; the southern limit of the project is the existing sidewalk just south of the property line of DuPage River Park east of Weber Road, according to IDOT.

The project is in DuPage Township, including parts of Naperville and Bolingbrook.

"The project has two components, the north-south portion, which includes a bridge over the DuPage River, and the east-west portion, which is the smaller grant," the preserve said.

The forest preserve told Patch that the new trail would travel through DuPage River Park and Indian Boundary Park, traveling east to the Hidden Lakes Trout Farm and Whalon Lake preserves, and north to the Greene Valley Preserve.

The forest preserve board previously approved phase 1 engineering for the project in February 2024.

The two projects are among 66 awarded across the state, totaling $139.2 million in funding. The Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program has a goal of expanding local travel options and enhancing quality of life, according to IDOT. The list of awarded projects was announced on Wednesday.

“The Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program is a crucial part of Rebuild Illinois, helping make travel safer and more accessible in the communities that need it most,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a release. “Today, I’m proud to announce the largest investment in the program’s history, with more than $139 million going toward bike lanes, sidewalks, trails and other local improvements. This is just one part of the state’s larger effort to reverse decades of disinvestment and create more connected communities.”

The 66 projects approved through ITEP include bike and pedestrian paths and trails, streetscape beautification and other projects designed to encourage safe travel across various modes of transportation at the local level, according to a release.

Made possible by federal and state funds administered by IDOT, ITEP awards are focused on improving bike and pedestrian travel, as well as making other surface transportation improvements that promote a variety of options for getting around communities, a release states.

The department received 233 applications for projects worth an estimated $383 million for the latest funding cycle, IDOT said. The next call for projects will be in 2026.