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Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago

Palos Hills Patch: Community members can use the trail to reach Moraine Valley, Stagg High School, the Palos Heights Metra Station, many parks and businesses.

The new extension of the Cal-Sag trail is now open. The 1.5 mile addition improves access to local schools, transit and the regional trail network, encouraging healthy, sustainable modes of transportation.

Cal Sag Trail ribbon cutting

The City of Palos Hills, in partnership with Cook County’s Invest in Cook program and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, celebrated the completion of the extension of the Cal-Sag Trial with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 19.

Community members can use the trail to reach Moraine Valley Community College, Amos Alonzo Stagg High School, the Palos Heights Metra Station, and many parks, businesses, and neighborhoods across the region. The extension can be accessed from 86th Avenue and Moraine Drive.

“We truly mean it when we say that we value projects like this, where our land is used as a benefit for the public,” said MWRD Vice President Theresa Flynn. “It gives us pride, as an agency, to see our property utilized for the enjoyment of the people of Cook County.”

The project has been in the making since 2022, when Palos Hills received a $600,000 grant to extend a segment of the bike and walking trail at 111th Street and 86th Avenue. The city received an additional $270,000 from Cook County to improve the pedestrian crossing.

The new trail extension will improve access and connectivity to the Cal-Sag Trail that runs alongside the Cal-Sag Channel.

The Cal-Sag Trail will eventually stretch 26 miles from Archer Avenue near Lemont to the Burnham Greenway near the Indiana border. The first 13 miles of the trail on the western section opened in June 2015 with half the land donated by the MWRD.

The MWRD constructed the 16-mile channel in 1922 as part of the reversal of the flow of the Calumet River system and construction of the Calumet Water Reclamation Plant. Much of the land the MWRD purchased to build the channel has led to more recreational opportunities. Today, the MWRD makes more than 8,000 acres of land available for recreation and green space.

“We are happy to make this contribution to connect more riders, runners and walkers to the Cal-Sag Channel and Cal-Sag Trail," MWRD Vice-President Theresa Flynn said in a news release. “We pride ourselves on protecting and improving the quality of the Cal-Sag Channel, and now we have an opportunity to highlight our work and share that pride with the community who calls it home.”

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Established in 1889, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) is an award-winning, special purpose government agency responsible for wastewater treatment and stormwater management in Cook County, Illinois.

 

For more information:

public.affairs@mwrd.org

312-751-6633