Trail link between Moraine Hills State Park and Prairie Trail is aim of McHenry County land buy efforts

Prairie Trail users in the McHenry area soon could be able to venture over to Moraine Hills State Park without needing to share the road with cars.

McHenry County is working to acquire land to build a connection between the Prairie Trail, which runs north-south throughout McHenry County, and the start of the state park trail system at the intersection of Charles J. Miller Highway and River Road east of McHenry. The distance between the two points is about 2 miles, but most of that already has a sidewalk and paths.

The McHenry County Board Transportation Committee advanced a land acquisition agreement for a trail connection Wednesday. The proposed path would run parallel to Bull Valley Road east to the Route 31 intersection. Bull Valley Road becomes Charles J. Miller Highway at the intersection.

The Prairie Trail has connections to Hebron and the Ridgefield Trace path, which links Crystal Lake and Woodstock. The distance between the Prairie Trail and the Route 31 intersection is just over three-quarters of a mile, but there already is an existing sidewalk and pathway along Charles J. Miller Highway from Route 31 to River Road.

County documents indicate that the funds for the land acquisition already have been earmarked through the five-year transportation plan. The cost for the land acquisition is just more than $366,000, while the total project is expected to cost about $8.8 million. The county’s share is $4.225 million, according to county records.

The Transportation Committee did not discuss the proposal before voting on it. The land acquisition will go before the full County Board for a final vote next month.