Itasca forest preserve reopens with new trail
Area residents have more to do outdoors in Itasca, now that Songbird Slough Forest Preserve has reopened this week with a new, 1.1-mile trail.
The trail was completed almost 25 percent below budget, officials said.
The preserve has been closed since May for construction of the asphalt trail, which now separates pedestrian and bicycle traffic from the existing vehicle drive.
The trail also offers connections to the surrounding neighborhood near downtown Itasca. Officials said the path was created to make the area more pedestrian- and bike-friendly, especially allowing Itasca residents to access the preserve without having to drive to the main entrance.
“All we had in there was an asphalt road system and we wanted to provide a safer passage,” said Matt Blazek, site operations manager for the DuPage Forest Preserve District.
The project's price tag was set at roughly $640,000 to $690,000 for design, permits and construction. But forest preserve officials said the cost ultimately totaled about $488,000.
Money came from the district's annual capital development funds.
The trail begins at the preserve's main entrance on Mill Road and leads to the parking lot and picnic shelter. Along the way, visitors will find informal shaded rest stops in shady areas with natural log benches.
The 391-acre Songbird Slough already attracts people who bike, fish, hike, picnic or watch the grassland birds and songbirds who live in the preserve. The preserve is a combination of natural and constructed wetlands, fishing ponds, restored prairies and meadows.
It also offers stormwater detention to protect homes and businesses from flooding.