Improvements scheduled to Prairie Path in Wayne

A new pedestrian and bicyclist bridge will give Prairie Path trail users a connection over the EJ&E/Canadian National railroad in Wayne, Ill.

The DuPage County Division of Transportation will begin construction of the 330-foot-long bridge in April. Deborah Jan Fagan, chief planner and county trail system coordinator, said the construction should take three months. During that time, the path will be closed from Army Trail Road to Smith Road.

Fagan said the new bridge will be a major safety improvement for that section of the trail, particularly because freight traffic there is expected to increase (Canadian National Railway recently purchased that line).

The $1.2 million project is coordinated and funded by DuPage County with a majority of construction funding provided under a $960,000 federal High Priority Project grant sponsored by former U.S. Rep. Dennis Hastert.