Illinois Tollway receives Forest Preserve District’s 2022 Appreciation of Partners Award

Photo cutline: Illinois Tollway officials receive an Appreciation of Partners Award from the Forest Preserve District of Will County on Thursday, Feb. 9. From left are Forest Preserve Board President Meta Mueller, Forest Preserve Executive Director Ralph Schultz, Illinois Tollway Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse, Illinois Tollway chief planning officer Rocco Zucchero, and Forest Preserve Board Vice President Annette Parker. (Forest Preserve photo | Glenn P. Knoblock)

The Illinois Tollway has received the 2022 Appreciation of Partners Award from the Forest Preserve District of Will County for assistance in helping make more than 8 miles of the Veterans Memorial Trail a reality.

The planning process for the trail dates back more than 25 years as the Tollway designed a 12.5-mile extension of Interstate 355, also known as Veterans Memorial Highway, south into Will County. A 20-foot right-of-way for the path was included in the plan, which paved the way for the Veterans Memorial Trail becoming a reality.

A new 3.5-mile section of the path opened in October 2022. That trail segment connects the Spring Creek Greenway Trail in New Lenox with a state-owned trail along 159th Street in Lockport. Another 4.7-mile section of the trail connects Centennial Trail with the Woodridge Municipal Trail.

Tollway Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse and Rocco Zucchero, the Tollway’s chief planning officer, accepted the award at the Feb. 9 Forest Preserve Board of Commissioners meeting.