Old Plank Road Trail (Illinois)

Old Plank Road Trail
Old Plank Road Trail
	Old Plank Road Trail crossing above US 45 in Frankfort via a cable-stayed bridge
Length	22 mi (35 km)
Location	Will County–Cook County, Illinois, United States
Established	1997
Began construction	1996
Completed	1997; 27 years ago
Trailheads	Joliet, Illinois (41°31′23.6″N 88°3′16.0″W / 41.523222°N 88.054444°W); Chicago Heights, Illinois (41°29′56.5″N 87°39′4.6″W / 41.499028°N 87.651278°W);
Website	https://oprt.org/
Trail map
	Old Plank Road Trail highlighted in green

The Old Plank Road Trail is a 22-mile-long (35 km) public rail trail in Cook County and Will County within the U.S. state of Illinois. It stretches westward from Chicago Heights to Joliet, serving suburbs such as Frankfort and New Lenox.^[1]

History

The Old Plank Road Trail occupies the western half of a

Chicago.^[1]

In the early 1900s, railroad use of this roadbed began to decline. Trains were beginning to be partly replaced by rubber-tired vehicles that used new paved roads such as the

U.S. Highway 30, US 30), which parallels the Old Plank Road Trail throughout its entire length. Service on this portion of the Joliet Cutoff ended in 1972. This abandonment opened the way for the railroad bed to be rededicated to public trail use.^[1]

Starting in 1977, local residents organized to preserve the historic right-of-way for trail use. In 1982, the right-of-way was renamed the Old Plank Road Trail. The trail was officially opened to the public in July 1997.[1]

Several strips of land along the roadbed preserve remnants of the Chicago area's original

Metra Electric north-south commuter train line.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Old Plank Road Trail". Old Plank Road Trail Association. Retrieved December 21, 2008.

[OPRT-1] "Old Plank Road Trail". Old Plank Road Trail Association. Retrieved December 21, 2008.

[1]