Skokie Bike Path Cycles Through Board

Those who want to bike from one end of Skokie to the other are a step closer to getting their wish as village trustees have started the process of getting a new path constructed on the south end that will be part of a circuit that will run through the North Shore.

Last week, Skokie village board members approved the conceptual design of the new path that is scheduled to flow from Oakton Street south to the village limits. The decision comes on the heels of the .

A representative from the engineering firm of T.Y. Lin International showcased the highlights to trustees at the board meeting. Specifically, the nearly mile-long stretch will have a 10-foot-wide path with a two-foot shoulder on each side. The southern portion of the path will run east of Skokie Boulevard and will go across Lincoln Avenue until hooking up with the Lincolnwood portion of the trail at Jarvis Avenue in what is known to some as the ComEd right of way.

This village's portion is a small part of the upcoming Skokie Valley Trail that is expected to run from Chicago to Waukegan.

If the plan goes through as called for right now, it will have plenty of grass on both sides, with certain portions fenced in where there is a lot of vehicular traffic and there will be a 14-foot wide bridge across Skokie Boulevard.

“We feel confident this native prairie approach will work here,” said architect Phillip Hutchinson.

But that part of the design raised some questions about security.

“I just want to make sure that these things are all on our list and with all the beautiful vegetation we aren’t creating spaces for the wrong people to hide,” trustee Michael Lorge said in discussing his concerns.

Lorge continued with his security theme, asking: "Are the paths wide enough and strong enough to handle ambulances and police cars?” 

In this time of government austerity, the question now becomes finding the necessary money to pay for the path. The village has already received one grant of nearly $100,000 and will use $32,000 in tax increment finance funds.

A $544,000 grant has been sought from a federal government program. If that funding is forthcoming, the village will pay another $136,000 to complete the project.

The finances were a concern of one resident, Dr. Lilliana Fargo, who said, “I want to better understand the process of how they spend money from one project to another.”

The decision on the southern portion of the trail comes several months after the approval to build the northern portion, which will run from Oakton Street to Dempster Street. Construction is scheduled to begin in October, but village officials are still waiting for final approval from the Illinois Department of Transportation.