Yorkville committee hears plans for connecting walkways along Fox River

Members of the Yorkville Public Works Committee heard preliminary results of a downtown riverwalk feasibility study at their May 21 meeting, and while they were presented with multiple options, there still are many questions to be answered before plans can move forward.

Since constructing the whitewater course and riverwalk feature on the south side of the Fox River more than a decade ago, the walkway which extends west from Bicentennial Riverfront Park along the shoreline remains unfinished, ending abruptly just north of Foxy’s Ice Cream.

With heavy traffic on Route 47 making the crossing dangerous for pedestrians, the city has been considering ways to safely connect the riverwalk to the west side of the bridge for years.

On Sept. 26, 2023, City Council approved a $29,700 contract with Sugar Grove-based firm Engineering Enterprises Inc. to conduct a conceptual study to determine the feasibility of connecting the riverwalk from the east side of the bridge to the west side.

At the May 21 meeting, EEI presented committee members with the study findings, and proposed three possible options for the riverwalk with paths that would take pedestrians either over or under South Bridge Street (Route 47).

EEI Chief Operating Officer Brad Sanderson presented the preliminary findings and estimated costs.

The path under Route 47 would cost an estimated $2,842,000, while the path over the highway is estimated to cost $8,296,000.

The path under the bridge would connect the existing riverwalk east of Route 47 to the parking lot north of the South Main Street and West Hydraulic Avenue intersection on the west side of Route 47.

The path over the bridge would extend the existing riverwalk to the city-owned parking lot just east of Route 47, outside of Upper Crust Catering at 109 E. Hydraulic Ave. The walkway would then ramp up toward Hydraulic Avenue and an overpass walkway would cross Route 47 and end in the parking lot of Fox Republic Brewing Co. at 111 W. Hydraulic Ave.

Another option presented was to create disconnected walkways along the river on both sides of the bridge. Under this concept, the path would extend the existing riverwalk on the east side of the bridge to the city-owned parking lot just east of Route 47, outside of Upper Crust Catering at 109 E. Hydraulic Ave.

Pedestrians would then cross Route 47 as usual, and the path along the river would pick back up from the existing sidewalk on the west side of Route 47.

The path west of the bridge would have an outlet at the parking lot north of the South Main Street and West Hydraulic Avenue intersection and would end at the vacant lot between West Hydraulic Avenue and the river just west of State Street.

Proposed costs

For the disconnected paths, costs are estimated at $1,081,000 for work on the east side of the bridge and $2,959,000 for the work on the west side of the bridge, for a combined total of $4,040,000.

The path under the bridge is estimated to cost significantly less than the other options, about $5.5 million less than going over and $1.2 million less than the disconnected route.

Sanderson said each option poses major challenges and obstacles for construction and all would require retaining walls to keep the path above water during heavy rain and floods. He said building along the river bank east of the bridge would be difficult regardless of how it connects, as several culverts currently discharge rainwater along the route.

Sanderson said building a walkway over Route 47 would take up much more space, and could obstruct the view of the railroad, while going under the bridge would put the path in danger of frequent flooding, as the elevation would be limited by the beams on the underside of the bridge.

The disconnected path would require steps to connect the existing sidewalk on the west side of the bridge and pedestrians would still have the challenge of crossing a busy Route 47.

Committee members also discussed other factors that could affect the riverwalk, including the possible removal of dams upstream changing the river’s hydrology, the possible addition of a commuter rail and future renovations of Hydraulic Avenue.

The plans are still in conceptual stages and the study findings will be reviewed by several Yorkville committees and commissions in coming months.