City Wants Feedback On Weber Spur Rails-To-Trails Project

NORTH PARK — For the first time in more than a decade, neighbors were able to weigh in on the city’s planned Weber Spur rails-to-trails project during a Wednesday public hearing.

The Weber Spur would turn a former Union Pacific rail line into a 2-mile, mixed-use trail, stretching diagonally from Devon Avenue in the northeast to Elston Avenue in the southwest. The trail would cut through the North Park, Mayfair, North Mayfair, Peterson Park and Sauganash neighborhoods and would connect to the North Branch Trail, the Sauganash Valley Line Trail and the Lincolnwood portion of the old Union Pacific Weber Spur rail line .

The Chicago portion of the Weber Spur has been in the works for more than a decade. The last public meeting held to discuss the project was in 2015. Rails-to-trails projects typically take longer than other transportation projects to come to fruition because land acquisition and securing federal aid can be a lengthy process, city transportation officials previously said.

About 50 people gathered Wednesday night at Northeastern Illinois University to hear updates on the trail from the city’s Department of Transportation.

Lubica Benak, project director for the Department of Transportation’s Livable Streets division, told attendees the Weber Spur will serve as “a vital connector to other bike infrastructure in this region.”

Jim O’Reilly, president of the North Branch Trail Alliance , was at the 2015 public meeting and has been advocating for the Weber Spur for years. He said it was “very encouraging” to see that the city is making progress.

A map of the Weber Spur trail. Credit: Provided by the Chicago Department of Transportation

The first phase of the project, which includes developing preliminary designs and looking into the environmental impact, is almost complete, Benak said. The Department of Transportation plans on starting phase two, which will involve developing engineering and construction plans and acquiring the land sometime in 2027.

The city is currently in talks with Union Pacific Railroad about buying the property encompassing the Weber Spur, Benak said.

If the land purchase goes through, the city hopes to start construction in 2030, Benak said. Construction is estimated to take about two years.

Erica Schroeder, a spokesperson with the Department of Transportation, said the Weber Spur’s estimated total cost is about $81.9 million. The department has secured $45.88 million for the project through the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s federally funded Transportation Alternatives Program. Rep. Mike Quigley secured another $850,000 in federal funding last February.

During Wednesday’s meeting, neighbors asked questions and gave feedback on the trail’s proposed design, with most saying they supported the trail. A few residents used the meeting to speak out against the bike lanes that were recently installed along Bryn Mawr Avenue in North Park and were told the meeting was focused on the Weber Spur.

Arthur Wawrzyczek, the volunteer site steward at LaBagh Woods, said he supports the Weber Spur but “does not want it to come at the expense” of the surrounding natural environment. The section of the trail that runs through LaBagh Woods should not have lights as that would disturb migratory birds and insects, Wawrzyczek said. He also asked that a buffer of native grasses and shrubs be planted along the trail.

Neighbors attend a meeting on the Weber Spur bike trail on Oct. 14, 2026. Credit: Molly DeVore/ Block Club Chicago

Current plans for the Weber Spur call for an asphalt, ADA-accessible trail that is 12 feet wide with a 2-foot-wide shoulder. The trail would have at-grade crossings at Pulaski Road and Devon Avenue. There would be roundabouts where the Weber Spur meets the North Branch Trail and where it meets Bryn Mawr Avenue and the Sauganash Valley Line Trail.

There would also be access ramps at Elston, Foster, Tripp, Peterson, Glen Lake and Rosemont avenues.

The bridges over Elston Avenue, Foster Avenue, the North Branch of the Chicago River and at Peterson Avenue would be rehabilitated as part of the project.

Dana Smith, who opened Irving Park Bike Repair at 3307 W. Irving Park Road in May, said the Weber Spur “seems like the last puzzle piece.”

“It’s really nice to be able to pick and choose from any of these recreational trails going North,” Smith said. “We’ve got this great network laid out and there’s just one missing thing.”

Old Irving Park neighbor George Witchek is part of an effort to convert a Union Pacific freight line that travels alongside North Kenton Avenue into a bike trail. Called the Crosstown Trail , it would span 3.2 miles, going from West Montrose and North Knox avenues in the north to near West Cortland Street and North Kilbourn Avenue in the south.

The Weber Spur will be a “critical connection point” for the Crosstown Trail, Witchek said.

“The connections are what make these projects so exciting,” he said.

Neighbors attend a meeting on the Weber Spur bike trail on Oct. 14, 2026. Credit: Molly DeVore/ Block Club Chicago

The final piece of the Weber Spur — what the Department of Transportation calls the “fifth reach” — would be added later and is not part of the initial project, Benak said. The fifth reach would extend south from Elston to Sunnyside. Benak said that section is more complex because it will require crossing multiple expressways.

Benak said more public meetings will be held next year to discuss the Weber Spur. You can learn more about the trail here and you can submit public comment through Oct. 28 here .

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