Naperville's draft update to its bicycle and pedestrian plan is scheduled for another Transportation Advisory Board review in October before proceeding to the City Council. The city hired A. Epstein and Sons International in 2025 to evaluate the existing network and recommend changes. The current plan dates to 1997, with an interim update in 2006, according to NCTV17 and the Chicago Tribune.
Public input shaped the draft
At a Transportation Advisory Board presentation, Epstein outlined 112 infrastructure projects, 10 intersection changes, 12 improvements to existing facilities, five policy recommendations and four program recommendations. The work would be carried out incrementally through 2050 and cost more than $54 million, according to NCTV17.
The planning process included an online map that received more than 500 responses, three pop-up events, two stakeholder meetings, three meetings with regional agencies and an April open house. In the destination survey, 42% of respondents selected trails and parks as their top priority for walking and biking access. Schools and services followed at 24%, commercial areas at 18% and transit at 16%, NCTV17 reported.
The proposed network
The four stated objectives are to link parts of the city more effectively, educate residents about safe and courteous travel, serve neighborhoods equitably and coordinate transportation-safety work among city departments, schools and regional agencies. The recommendations also call for more connections between Naperville's north and south sides, sidewalks on both sides of busy roads and alternate routes on streets with lower traffic volumes and speeds, according to the Epstein presentation summarized by NCTV17.
The Chicago Tribune reported that the draft identifies Gartner Road for a proposed bike lane serving routes toward the Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve and DuPage River Trail. It also proposes sidepaths along 95th Street and Modaff Road. Those projects could require coordination among jurisdictions and may be difficult to build, the Tribune reported.
Intersection changes and next steps
Two proposed intersection projects are at Eagle Street and Aurora Avenue and at Hillside Road and Washington Street. Both locations have bike lanes that conflict with vehicle right-turn lanes, according to the Chicago Tribune. The draft recommends directing cyclists through the crosswalk to turn at Eagle and Aurora and using green dashed pavement markings at Hillside and Washington.
Related city projects and crash history
A separate City of Naperville traffic study dated Jan. 15, 2021, found that five of six intersections along Eagle Street in the Westside neighborhood had experienced at least five crashes during the preceding three years. The study concerned a different section of Eagle Street from the draft's Eagle Street-Aurora Avenue project. The city also lists a separate 248th Avenue project, from 95th Street to 103rd Street, that is expected to begin construction in 2027. The work includes connecting a gap in the existing bike path, adding a sidewalk and installing a pedestrian refuge island, according to Naperville city records. That project page describes the work and timing but does not provide a budget or identify funding sources for the broader proposed plan.
The Transportation, Engineering and Development group plans to refine the draft after the board's review. The board is expected to consider a more finalized version in October, followed by a City Council presentation in late October or early November, according to NCTV17.
