$20 million in federal funds awarded for Englewood Nature Trail project

CHICAGO (CBS) — A total of $20 million in federal grant coming is coming to support the development of the Englewood Nature Trail – a project to convert an abandoned railway corridor into a multi-use path.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, U.S. Sens Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois), and U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-Illinois) announced Thursday that the federal funding had been awarded.

The project would convert a 1.75-mile abandoned railway corridor into a multi-use path – a concept similar to the Bloomingdale Trail at The 606 in Bucktown and Logan Square, or The High Line on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City.

The Englewood Nature Trail would extend from Wallace Street on the east to Hoyne Avenue on the west along the abandoned railway embankment between 58th and 59th streets.

The city noted the rail corridor was constructed in 1917, when the Pennsylvania Railroad created an elevated embankment to serve industrial businesses along 59th Street and to link up with other rail lines nearby.

The last time trains even operated on the railway was the early 1960s, by which point most of the industries on 59th Street were gone.

The plan for the Englewood Nature Trail came after public input in 2014 led to the Chicago Plan Commission’s “Green Healthy Neighborhoods Plan,” the city said. The proposal envisions the trail “serving as the spine of an urban agriculture district that occupies adjacent land, along with other productive uses,” Mayor’s office said.

The city acquired the railway corridor in 2018 from Norfolk Southern Railroad. The allocated $6 million this past spring for phase one of design funding.

Long-term, the city hopes the trail will connect the surrounding area with park space and multi-use paths.

“This equity-focused investment in the Englewood community will serve as a major catalyst for revitalization,” Mayor Lightfoot said in a news release. “The Englewood Nature Trail is both a physical connector and pathway to community connectivity and opportunity. The trail, which was importantly developed as part of a community-led process, will benefit Englewood residents for years to come.” 

The funding came from the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program. The funds will go toward a detailed design for the trail – which will cross 26 viaducts from east to west.

The plan calls for nine entrances for people to get onto the trail.

“Englewood and West Englewood need bold catalytic development. As the network of community stakeholders and residents, we’ve been working to ensure that Englewood’s culture and identity are baked into this project and that it is a source of pride for the community,” Anton Seals Jr., Executive Director of Grow Greater Englewood, said in the release. “We’re grateful for this federal investment and look forward to building a space where neighbors can find economic opportunities, safe and environmentally sustainable places, and access to more healthy foods.”

The Englewood Nature Trail is part of a greater vision of trails and open spaces around the city. The citywide vision map calls for 48 miles of new trail to supplement an existing network of 79 miles that includes the Lakefront Trail.