Ride Illinois recognized the Friends of the Cal-Sag Trail, Illinois Department of Transportation District 7, and the city of Warrenville for their significant achievements in local bicycle advocacy in 2015. The three organizations were presented with the Ride Illinois Partnership, Project, and Initiative Awards at the Fourth Annual Illinois Bike Summit held on October 28 in Champaign.

Friends of the Cal-Sag Trail received the Ride Illinois Partnership Award. The organization accomplished quite a feat in creating the new trail that spans 26 miles from Lemont to Burnham, especially considering the dozen different agencies involved in the project: Palos Park, Palos Heights, Alsip Park District, Blue Island, Riverdale, Dolton, Dolton Park District, Calumet City, Burnham, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, Forest Preserve District of Cook County and Trinity Christian College.

Funds from Senator Dick Durbin’s office were the first to support the Cal-Sag Trail project, and Ride Illinois worked closely with Durbin to secure funding for the initial engineering study.

The Cal-Sag Trail officially opened this past June with the west end of the trail paved and work continuing on the east end. The trail is expected to be fully complete in 2017.

Debbie Stoffregen, President of the Friends of the Cal-Sag Trail Board, accepted the award on behalf of the organization. “The diversity of the areas along this trail is what makes it unique,” Stoffregen has previously said. “The biodiversity, economic diversity and historical significance of the area, make it a destination trail for anyone wanting to see and understand Chicago’s southland. This trail has it all.”

Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) district 7 received the Ride Illinois Project Award. The district was honored for the bicyclist and pedestrian bridge constructed over Interstate 57/70 in Effingham last fall. The project cost approximately $1.8 million and included the 16-feet-wide, 264-feet-long bridge as well as a half-mile of trail leading up to it.

Before the bridge was constructed, Interstate 57/70 basically divided the county of Effingham, said Frank Brummer, board president for both Ride Illinois and Trail Recreation Effingham County. The bicyclist/pedestrian bridge was constructed away from the interstate intersection and on/off ramps to create a safe path for users. “For the first time, our residents can safely cross the interstate and bike on both sides of the county,” Brummer said.

The city of Warrenville received the Ride Illinois Initiative Award. Warrenville was chosen for the award for their perseverance in becoming a Bicycle Friendly Community. The small suburb in the Chicago metropolitan area, was awarded the Bronze level designation as a Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) by the League of American Bicyclists this summer. Warrenville applied for the BFC designation multiple times, learning along the way, before being successful in receiving the designation. The application process to become a Bicycle Friendly Community can be lengthy and challenging, and Ride Illinois has helped several communities with their applications.