Bloomingdale Trail

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

The Bloomingdale Trail is a planned elevated city park running 2.7 miles from Ashland to Ridgeway along Bloomingdale Avenue. It currently is an abandoned railroad. Two meetings were held in July of 2009 regarding the future of the Bloomingdale Trail.

Bloomingdale Trail FAQ

What are the issues we’ve been having with the Bloomingdale Trail?

Calls that we’ve been receiving about the Trail- people up on the Trail illegally; throwing rocks and bottles at residents and into residents’ yards; setting off fireworks; graffiti on nearby buildings; public urination outside of residents’ windows

Who owns the Trail and should be maintaining it?

Canadian Pacific Railroad. The city does not have ownership (except for some of the viaducts/property below). CPR does have their own officers, but they only go out on calls, since they only have 5 for the entire city.

Are people allowed up on the Trail?

No. It is not city land, and therefore anyone that is up there is trespassing. If you see someone up there, call 911. The police have been informed of this problem and are monitoring it. They cannot make an arrest unless there is a complainant.

What are the plans for the Trail?

The city is trying to purchase the land, but needs funding and a comprehensive plan. Things such as liability and handicapped accessibility have to be considered. The Department of Transportation has been working on this for some time, but it probably will be at least three years before work begins.
CDOT has secured some Federal funds; estimating cost at $60 million; would have to make it ADA compliant
CDOT starting phase 1- had a team secure the bid; phase 1 is the design (takes 3 years to do the design part), not actual work on the tracks; have done environmental testing
City will take ownership in phase 2
Park District would eventually take control of the land after the city gets it

What are the plans for 1805 N Milwaukee?

1805 N Milwaukee is a piece of land that the city has purchased so that it can be made into an access point when the Bloomingdale Trail becomes a park. The city is going to scrape off the entire site and put in new top soil and grass. The site will remain fenced off while work is going on. Transfer of the property to the Park District should occur sometime in 2011.

Where are people gaining access?

One of the main points is at Leavitt and Milwaukee. The city installed a fence at this property to prevent access. It used to be an old truck site, so there are tanks underground and the city had to be careful about inserting posts in the ground. Albany and Whipple, Kimball, and 1805 N Milwaukee are the 3 easements people are using to access the Trail.

What has been done about keeping people off of the Trail? What else can be done?

Fences have been installed in certain locations. We have had meetings with all of the players, including the railroad, who should be maintaining the Trail. They have agreed to install no trespassing signs. Our office has also put in no trespassing signs.
We have spoken with the police so that they are aware of the problem. They have discussed this at roll call to make sure all officers are aware of this.
Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail has agreed to make sure their literature and website stresses the fact that the trail is not open to the public yet (has been an issue since the average citizen most likely doesn’t know they’re trespassing)
CPR is willing to allow people who live along the Trail to plant shrubs for privacy (Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail also said they would help with this)

If you have further questions regarding Bloomingdale Trail, please contact us.