Walkers, commuters, bicyclists, dog walkers and joggers in the Morton Grove, Niles and Skokie area can now use a safer, just-completed path, or at least the already-completed portion of it, after officials unveiled it last week.
State, county and local officials celebrated inter-village cooperation on Thursday, Oct. 19, as they formally unveiled the $1.8 million pedestrian path that traverses sections of Niles, Morton Grove and Skokie.
Morton Grove Village President Dan DiMaria, whose village led the seven-year effort to bring it to fruition, cut the ribbon to the 1.7-mile path, which is scheduled for additional improvements in coming months.
“When government works, it works,” DiMaria said. “As you all know, I’m very cynical of government, except local. But this is what happens when it works. Federal, state, county and municipalities all came together and worked together.”
“The cooperation between three communities has been outstanding,” Morton Grove Village Administrator Ralph Czerwinski said. “Walking in the snow with a curb line was an unsafe condition. We’re very happy to make this happen.”
The current path runs north on Caldwell Avenue from Vapor Lane, past the LoVerde Recreation Center, to Oakton Street and then east on Oakton from Caldwell to Lehigh Avenue, according to Niles officials. It includes a 10-foot-wide path between Vapor in Niles and Lehigh in Morton Grove, a retaining wall, drainage improvements and traffic signal improvements, they said.
State Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, said as chairman of the state Senate Transportation Committee, he hears residents across the state asking for more accessible transportation options. This project is an excellent example of such a project, Villivalam said.
“This is how we are going to keep our population going and continue to grow our population,” he said. “It’s a good example of cooperation.” “
Cook County Commissioner Josina Morita, D-Evanston, said it was nice to see some of the $8 million in transportation funding the county provides each year be used for a local project.
“I’m fortunate to have municipalities in my district that work together,” Morita said. “This is what Skokie, Niles and Morton Grove have done.”
The three municipalities began working on the project seven years ago, Czerwinski said. The path unveiled Thursday marks the first stage of the project.
“This project, which includes financial and endorsement support from county, state and federal sources, provides a vital multi-use path for pedestrians, cyclists, and bus commuters traveling along Oakton Street,” Czerwinski said.
“The completion of this initial phase marks a significant milestone in improving safety and mobility in our communities, with more exciting developments ahead.”
Czerwinski credited former Morton Grove Public Works Director Andy DeMonte with identifying the need for the improvements in 2016.
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“He recognized the daily presence of pedestrians and cyclists braving all weather conditions and realized that their safety was compromised due to the lack of proper accommodations,” Czerwinski said.
In February 2017, officials submitted a funding application to Cook County’s Invest in Cook program, he said. “The design engineering funding paved the way for a competitive application for federal construction funding, leading to the project’s selection for Invest in Cook funding in 2018,” Czerwinski said.
The estimated cost of the completed work to date is $1.78 million, with $1.42 million funded by the federal government, he said. Morton Grove, Niles, and Skokie equally shared the remaining $360,000, Czerwinski said.
“The project is far from over, as two more stages are planned,” he said.
Those stages, Czerwinski said, include:
Extending the path across the Metra tracks to the east, reaching Niles West High School.
The Illinois Department of Transportation replacing the bridge deck over Edens Expressway.
Providing an alternate path on private property for cyclists at Oakton and Caldwell.
Constructing a segment along the north side of Oakton between St. Paul Woods and River Drive, providing access to St. Paul Woods.