Floods Cancel May 4 Red Gate Ceremony

Officials announced Thursday afternoon they have cancelled the ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the pedestrian/bicycle crossing of the Red Gate Bridge, due to the flood.

The ceremony had been scheduled at 9 a.m. May 4, but the heavy rains that caused last week’s flooding of the Fox River and surrounding area halted all work on the project, the city said in a release.

“In the interest of public safety, the paths and boardwalks will not be opened at this time,” the release states. “The event, … will be held on a future date, yet to be determined.”

The completion of the pedestrian/bicycle crossing will mark the official end to construction of the $30 million bridge. Nearly a century of talks and planning preceded construction of the north-end bridge, which opened to vehicles in mid-December. City Administrator Brian Townsend, in his , said an April 5, 2013 24-hour traffic count on the bridge showed 7,223 vehicles crossed the bridge.

The ribbon-cutting had been jointly scheduled with the Kane County Forest Preserve District. The pedestrian bridge, which is the lower deck of the Red Gate Bridge, connects to the Fox River Trail on the east side of the river, with a path on the west side that feeds into the Great Western Trail. It also links the Kane County Fox River Bluff and Fox River Bluff West forest preserves. Fox River Bluff West includes a Kane County dog park off Route 31.