Chicago’s long‑talked‑about Weber Spur Trail just landed a fresh $850,000 in federal cash, but the Northwest Side project is still stuck in planning limbo with no construction date in sight and no deal yet for the land underneath it.
The money shows up in the fiscal‑year 2026 appropriations package under Community Project Funding, according to a committee report on Congress.gov. The line item pegs $850,000 to the Weber Spur Trail and ties it to Rep. Mike Quigley.
Quigley’s office confirmed the award as part of roughly $17.8 million he secured for local projects in FY26, according to a press release from Rep. Mike Quigley. “This path will encourage more folks to walk and bike, improve public health, and strengthen local businesses,” the release said.
On the ground, though, neighbors are still looking at an unofficial path rather than a finished trail. The city’s 1.7‑mile Chicago segment is part of a larger corridor with an estimated price tag of roughly $70 million, and the city has not yet acquired the former Union Pacific right of way that would become the trail. Residents and advocates say people already use portions of the corridor to walk and bike, even as official negotiations continue.
A spokesperson for Ald. Samantha Nugent says CDOT outlined its current work in a Dec. 10, 2024, letter, telling the alderman the agency is finishing a Phase I preliminary engineering and environmental study, according to Nadig Newspapers. That step identifies existing conditions, concept options, and what land the city would need to acquire, and the report also notes the city has said it will need money from multiple sources to pay for the full project.
The Weber Spur would run diagonally across the Northwest Side for about 1.7 miles, from Devon and Springfield to Elston and Kimberly, linking the North Branch Trail, Sauganash Trail, and Elston Avenue bike lanes. A roughly one‑mile stretch is already completed in Lincolnwood, according to Block Club Chicago. Block Club Chicago also reports that CDOT’s plans include several access points and bridge repairs along the corridor as part of a future design package.
Ownership remains one of the project’s biggest roadblocks. The former rail right of way is still controlled by Union Pacific, and advocates and nonprofit groups say the company enforces a no‑trespassing policy even though the tracks were pulled up years ago. The city will need to negotiate either a purchase or easements before it can turn the corridor into a continuous public trail, according to the Active Transportation Alliance.
Funding Vs. Building
The $850,000 appropriation is more seed money than game changer. Local reporting puts the full Weber Spur project at about $70 million, and CDOT has repeatedly said that engineering, land acquisition and construction will require multiple funding sources, according to Nadig Newspapers. That scale means the new federal cash will likely go toward studies and early engineering work instead of immediate construction of a continuous trail.
What’s Next For Neighbors
Trail advocates welcomed the federal boost, but they are not pretending this will be quick. CDOT previously told Block Club Chicago that even if land acquisition and environmental work move efficiently, construction on the Chicago portion might not start until around 2029, according to Block Club Chicago.
Local organizers, including the North Branch Trail Alliance, argue the corridor would create a low‑stress connection across the Northwest Side and say the priority now is turning planning money into actual land deals and a clear schedule, Block Club Chicago reports. They see the trail as a critical missing link in the city’s bike and pedestrian network, not just a nice‑to‑have amenity that can sit on a shelf for another decade.
For now, neighborhood groups plan to keep pressing CDOT and elected officials to convert this latest round of funding into binding agreements and firm timelines. Until land ownership is resolved and design work moves past the study stage, the Weber Spur will remain a promising yet unfinished piece of Chicago’s trail system. The federal appropriation keeps the project alive and moving, but residents should expect more negotiations and engineering before any shovels hit the dirt.
