SERVICES PROVIDED

• Assessed existing trail
• Assessed proposed new trail
• Preliminary Opinion of Cost
• Trail design and plan documentation
  
• Structural design

PROJECT ELEMENTS

• Highly sensitive site
  
• Aggregate trails
• Boardwalk
  
• Suspension bridge

PROJECT DETAILS

The existing master plan for McCormick Ravine identified three trails (1.2 linear miles total) on a 60-acre suburban site, designed to facilitate three different user experiences while protecting the unique native plant communities and ravine ecosystem on the site. The site contains parcels owned by a local land trust, as well as the City of Lake Forest, with oversight required by the Army Corps of Engineers and Lake County. Working with base information from the client-selected engineering firm, Penn Trails analyzed and adjusted the proposed corridor through extensive site work. GPS data collected on-site was used to create a Phase I conceptual design detailing the three trails and their segment design. Penn Trails prepared a plan set and bid documents for review by the client engineer and for use by the client, and also lead the team that designed the 120-foot Deromedi Family Bridge which was installed over the ravine.

This project was completed in 2023 and honored with an American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois’ 2024 Engineering Excellence Honor Award and the Judges’ Choice Award for Small Projects for the Deromedi Family Bridge.