Skip to Main Content
HLR Engineering
  • Professional Services
    • Preliminary Engineering
    • Drainage Engineering
    • Structural Engineering
    • Construction Engineering
    • Design Engineering
    • Traffic Engineering
    • Land Acquisition
    • Land Surveying
    • Environmental Services
    • GIS Services
    • Water/ Wastewater
  • Markets
    • Public Infrastructure
    • Energy
    • Recreation
    • Land Development
    • Education
  • Projects
  • About Us
    • News
    • History
    • Awards
    • Lamac Engineering
  • Our Team
  • Careers
    • Resident Engineer
    • Water/Wastewater Engineer
    • Structural Engineer Manager
    • Civil Engineer (Entry-Level)
    • Civil Engineer Internship (Paid)
  • Contact

Kishwaukee Bike Path

The City of DeKalb was looking to connect the existing DeKalb Nature Trail located along the Kishwaukee River within the Northern Illinois University Campus to Prairie Park.  Due to its location near the river and Union Pacific Railroad, extensive coordination and planning was needed to complete Phase I and II of this path.

HLR’s surveyors started with topographic and stream surveys of the Kishwaukee River and potential sites for the bike path alignment.  Coordination with both the City of DeKalb and the DeKalb Park District was necessary to determine the best location for the proposed bike path to reduce tree and wetland impacts.

The location of the bike path was also controlled by fill within the regulatory floodway of the Kishwaukee River.  Existing residences upstream from the Union Pacific and Illinois Route 38 bridge crossings of the Kishwaukee are susceptible to flooding. Our design engineers developed an iterative path location to balance both compensatory storage and riverine conveyance to ensure that the upstream water surface will not increase for various storm events.  Our stormwater engineers utilized HEC-RAS hydraulic modeling to verify that the proposed crossing will not cause a hardship on the buildings prone to flooding.

HLR also designed an overhead structure above the proposed bike path to deflect any wayward ballast that might fall off the railroad bridge. This presented a challenge because the design needed to be rigid enough to resist wind loading between the long pier lengths.  The overhead structure also needed to be located a minimum of 2 feet below the bottom of the railroad bridge and above the Kishwaukee River base flood (100-year) elevation.

Our professional land surveyors prepared all plats and legal descriptions for the necessary right-of-way needed to construct the proposed bike path.  Our team also performed appraisals and negotiations for the two parcels where right-of-way was needed.

Client

City of DeKalb

Location

Prairie Park to Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois

Construction Cost

$970,000

Team

Randal G. Newkirk, PE
Project Manager

Dirk Yuill
Design Engineer

Al Stott
Design Engineer

Chris Olcott, PE
Stormwater Engineer

Amy McSwane, PE, PTOE
Phase I Engineer

Erica Spolar
Environmental Manager

Karen Kase, PWS
Environmental Scientist

ReJena Lyon, PE, PLS
Survey Manager

John Sweet, PLS
Survey Lead

Neil Steffens, MAI, SRA
Appraiser

Colette Tuman
Negotiator

Similar Projects
Dean Street – Safe Routes to School
SEBA Park All-Inclusive Playground
U.S. Route 14 at Wilke Road Design and Reconstruction

Sign up for the latest updates

  • Professional Services
  • Markets
  • Projects
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Our Team
  • Contact
  • Useful Links
Elgin

380 Shepard Dr.
Elgin, IL 60123
P: 847.697.6700

Woodridge

6825 Hobson Valley Dr., Unit 302
Woodridge, IL 60517
P: 847.697.6700

Springfield

3085 Stevenson Dr., Ste. 201
Springfield, IL 62703
P: 217.546.3400

Mt. Carmel

323 West 3rd St., P.O. Box 160
Mt. Carmel, IL 62863
P: 618.262.8651

© Copyright 2021 Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick, Inc. All rights reserved.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap