March 25, 2025
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Pedestrian pathway to Route 47 along Cannonball Trail in Yorkville takes another step forward

Follows in the footsteps of previous $8M bicycle pathway project

By Joey Weslo
Yorkville officials are considering constructing a bicycle and pedestrian pathway along Cannonball Trail to improve safety in the area.

Yorkville officials are considering constructing a bicycle and pedestrian pathway along Cannonball Trail to improve safety in the area. (Photo Provided By The City of Yorkville)

Residents are one step closer to a pathway along Cannonball Trail in Yorkville with city officials pursing a $20,000 feasibility study. The multi-use pedestrian and bicycle pathway was first considered after several residents contacted city officials voicing safety concerns, especially after a serious bicycling incident occurred in the area.

Before city officials sign-on to the project, they want to know the full costs associated with constructing the Cannonball Trail shared use path between Kendall Marketplace and Route 47. The pedestrian pathway would stretch more than a mile.

The feasibility study, conducted by Engineering Enterprises Inc. will provide a better idea of the full costs and potential opportunities for shared improvement costs with the county and the township.

Preliminary estimates project the project to cost about $1 million. However, because parts of the planned pathway are on county land outside city limits, there may be cost sharing aspects reducing Yorkville’s contribution.

In 2012, the city did a successful referendum for a bicycle path bond of about $8 million to connect every subdivision in town that wasn’t already connected to Route 47 with additional bicycle pathways.

With the city’s new construction and subdivisions, several locations throughout the city, especially along its outer limits, currently are not connected to the overall bicycle pathway system.

City officials said during a public works meeting that the pedestrian pathway along Cannonball Trail could be a good connector between Route 47 and Route 24.

Route 47 is currently undergoing a massive widening and expansion construction project.

As part of the Route 47 expansion, a new multi-use bike and pedestrian lane is being constructed on bridges along Route 47, with a pedestrian connector running all along the east side of the roadway.

City officials foresee all pedestrian pathways connecting the subdivisions together, enhancing transportation and connection ease all the way into the town’s downtown district along the Fox River.