Village of Arlington Heights Trustees last week approved the a portion of a joint bicycle path with Rolling Meadows that will be constructed along Euclid Avenue near the Arlington Downs development at Euclid Avenue and Rohlwing Road. The new bike path will run east from Rohlwing Road to Salt Creek Lane. The new bike path will be connected by a crosswalk on the west side of the intersection of Euclid Avenue and Salt Creek Lane, and then travel along the south side of Euclid Avenue, connecting to the existing bike path that travels from Wilke Road to just west of the Salt Creek waterway.
On January 17, 2017, the Village Board unanimously passed a cost-sharing resolution to spend $90,500 (per community cost) to build the bicycle path. A week earlier, the Rolling Meadows city council approved (4-2) the Rolling Meadows portion of the bicycle path. The City of Rolling Meadows will use a $691,260 federal grant obtained in 2014 to fund most of the project. The Village of Arlington Heights funding shall utilize park land contribution funds previously collected from the developer of the Arlington Downs residential development.
Ward 4 Alderman Brad Judd and Ward 1 Alderman Mike Cannon opposed the high cost of the bike path, but clarified they did not oppose the concept of a bike path. Cannon opposed spending almost $1 million dollars for bike paths (Euclid Avenue and Rolling Meadows library bike path) altogether that total a length of less than one mile.
Terms of the federal grant require the project start by Fall 2017. Construction is scheduled to begin in October 2017, and be completed by July 2018.
Arlington Heights and Rolling Meadows spent over $5,500 in preliminary engineering costs for the half-mile path. The distance from Rohlwing Road to Salt Creek Lane is actually about 1600 feet. Additional length involves the connection to the existing bike path on the south side of Euclid Avenue that reaches Wilke Road.
The bike path is expected to enhance the further development that is anticipated for the Arlington Downs mixed-use development property, which already features high-rise luxury apartments, and includes plans for upscale stores and restaurants.
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