Kane County forest preserve officials gave tentative approval Tuesday to an agreement for closing a 1.3-mile gap on the Fox River Trail in downtown Aurora.
The construction cost, less than half of which is now funded, is estimated at more than $1.7 million, according to terms endorsed by the Forest Preserve Commission’s Utilization Committee.
Under the agreement, the Forest Preserve Commission will join with the city and the Fox Valley Park District to complete the project in phases over the next few years.
“Our hope is to be able to close this gap in the next three to five years,” said Monica Meyers, executive director of the Forest Preserve District. Much of the trail could be built in 2008, she said.
The three agencies is responsible for a section of the trail and together will pursue $947,000 in grants and other funding to help reduce the costs.
A $583,000 state transportation grant that the Forest Preserve District received in 1995 is available for engineering and construction of a trail between the Benton Street Bridge and Hurds Island in downtown Aurora.
The grant includes a $116,600 local match from the Forest Preserve District’s Fox River Trust Fund. To date, the Park District also has committed about $50,000 to the project and Aurora nearly $80,000.
