Mahomet residents will have access to a long loop of multi-purpose pathways through and around the north and east side of the Village before the end of the summer.
A $53,200 Bicycle Path Grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources will help the Village extended the existing 10-foot-wide pathway from the turnaround located underneath the IL-150 bridge to the Barber Park parking lot, turning the site into a trailhead.
Mahomet Parks and Recreation Department Director Dan Waldinger said the trailhead will also included benches and bike paths.
MPRD currently mows a path from the turnaround to the parking lot, as students use the existing pathway to get to school. The paved surface will be ideal for bikes and walking, while also providing a sturdy surface for grandparents and handicapped individuals to access soccer and football fields for rec season.The pathway will also give MPRD service vehicle access to the park.
Residents who use the Barber Park trailhead will be able to access the Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve once the Lake of the Woods overpass is complete, the Mahomet Public Library or Village amenities.
“This is a huge stretch of multi-purpose pathway for our community,” Waldinger said. “And it connects two great parks.”
After Village board approval, the Village will front the $100,000 in costs, and the grant will reimburse the Village for half the cost upon completion of the project. Waldinger said construction should begin in the middle of June and be completed by August 1. The money for this project was budgeted in fiscal year 2014, but will be spent in fiscal year 2015.
Waldinger said this will pathway will complete another piece in the puzzle to connect Mahomet through a multi-purpose pathway system. MPRD will look for another grant to create a loop of pathway around Barber Park. The Riverwalk Committee is also researching grants and planning for a pathway that will follow and eventually cross over the Sangamon River to the south side of town.
The Champaign County Forest Preserve and the Village of Mahomet also received a $293,780 grant from the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP) to construct a multi-purpose pathway which will connect Franklin Street to Briarcliff Subdivision.
A 10-foot multi-purpose pathway will run alongside IL-47 N from Franklin Street to the south ramp of I-74 and from the existing Buffalo Trace trailhead at the Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve to Briarcliff Drive. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will extend a widened shoulder along IL-47 from the I-74 ramp to the Buffalo Trace Trailhead when they make improvements to the highway. This project is expected to begin in the summer of 2015.
Waldinger said multi-purpose pathways are the most requested amenity on public surveys because they can be used by all generations. He also added the abundance of grants for multi-purpose pathways helps to keep local costs low while also adding to the quality of life in Mahomet.
