Various local officials gathered there Friday to break ground on an almost $4 million pedestrian bridge behind Monroe Middle School.
The project has been sought since Monroe student Lori Most was killed by a train trying to cross those tracks 13 years ago.
Officials had a moment of silence in Lori’s honor Friday. They’ll welcome her family for the dedication this December.
Black construction fence delineates the eventual position of the overpass and is already visible through trees cleared ahead of schedule.
The bridge will provide a safe crossing for Monroe students who live on the opposite side of the tracks from the school. It will also give residents convenient access to the DuPage County Fairgrounds adjacent to the school.
Nearly 70 trains grind along on the tracks behind the school from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day.
"The great witness that this project has is that it’s an example of how various units of government can come together," said State Sen. Peter Roskam of Wheaton. "When we choose to, we can work well together. At the end of the day, everybody stepped forward and did their part."
The end of this day has been a long time coming. A funding tug-of-war between different local governmental agencies was exacerbated by cost increases in the project as the years passed. State and federal funds eventually came through to pick up $3.3 million of the $3.8 million price tag.
"We all know it took a long time, but we all know it did work," said Wheaton Park District President Paul Fullerton. "Many people tell me they don’t believe it, and they’ll believe it when they see it. Come this fall, they’ll see it."
Reprinted with permission from the Daily Herald