City seeks to buy old elevated railway in Chicago's Sauganash area, turn it into multi-use trail

CBS News

a day ago

City of Chicago seeks to buy old railway in Sauganash area, turn it into official trail
City of Chicago seeks to buy old railway in Sauganash area, turn it into official trail
City of Chicago seeks to buy old railway in Sauganash area, turn it into official trail
There could soon be a new way to enjoy nature and explore the Sauganash area on the Northwest Side.
The City of Chicago is trying to buy some old elevated railroad tracks and create a multi-use trail similar to the 606.
The Weber Spur, which runs through LaBagh Woods, is already used as a nature path.
"There's beavers, muskrat, owls, many deer," said Alan Whitney.
For the last 15 years, Whitney has come out to the tranquil Weber Spur trail to escape the city.
"This is the most important place to me besides my own home," he said. "It actually connects all the way to the lakefront trails."
The trail was a Union Pacific Railroad line from 1890 until the early 2000s, when it was removed. Now, the Chicago Department of Transportation is trying to make it into a multi-use path dependent on federal funding.
It would run from Devon Avenue south to Sunnyside Avenue near the Kennedy Expressway, and would connect to other trails like Sauganash and North Branch.
For Tom Estka and his Thursday night running crew that uses the trail, that is a win.
"Without a doubt," he said.
Sylvia Launer would also appreciate the connections and the smooth ride — rather than gravel.
"I feel like a little hesitant," Launer said. "I am older, and I like a paved path."
The Chicago Department of Transportation said the 1.7-mile trail is owned by Union Pacific, and the city is currently in talks about buying it. If they do so, they expect construction to start in 2029.
The project is still in the very beginning stages and would cost $70 million. There is no plan on what designs will look like yet.
But for the people who use the trail daily, such as Estka, there is some concern that such a project could take away the nature.
"I think it would a little bit, but it would be more accessible for everybody," he said.
As for Whitney, that is exactly the reason he does not want anyone to touch his oasis.
"I wouldn't want them to change the beautiful things that I love about it, which is the little bit of wildness, and some of the historic elements of this project," he said.
Union Pacific confirmed that it has been in discussions with the city about the possible sale of the railroad spur — officially known as the Weber Industrial Lead — but no agreement has been reached.
Union Pacific also said people should not be using the trail now.
"We want to remind people this is private railroad property and it is both illegal and unsafe to trespass," the railroad said in a statement.
Safety concerns on the path were the subject of a CBS News Chicago story in October 2003.
Meanwhile, Ald. Samantha Nugent (39th) said she hoped the plan to develop the Weber Spur into an official trail would succeed:
"The development of the Weber Spur path would improve public health, encourage more residents to walk and bike, and strengthen our local businesses. There is still a lot of work to be done, but I am hopeful we will continue to make progress towards turning the vision for this community resource into a reality."
The Bloomingdale Trail at the 606 is Chicago's best-known trail that was similarly built on an old elevated railroad line. It opened in 2015, and runs above Bloomingdale Avenue from Ashland Avenue in Bucktown on the east to Ridgeway Avenue in Humboldt Park on the west.
Plans were also announced in 2022 to convert a 1.85-mile abandoned railway corridor between 58th and 59th streets in the Englewood neighborhood into a multi-use path called the Englewood Nature Trail.
The High Line on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City, which opened in 2009, and the Coulée verte René-Dumont in the Bastille District of Paris' 12th arrondissement, which dates back to 1993, are also famous examples of trails or parks developed on old elevated railroad lines.