Trail Inventory & Surface Condition Assessment

Urban GIS partnered with Applied Research Associates to perform a surface condition assessment of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County paved and unpaved trails and conduct a trail network gap analysis. Our team was also tasked with assessing trail assets such as signs, bridges, culverts, underpasses, tunnels, benches, drop gates, shelters and fences. Urban GIS played a critical role in collecting trail conditions data and performing a gap analysis of the trail network spanning 173 miles. To collect the data, we completed inspection bike rides totaling approximately 700 miles. One of the goals of the gap analysis was to identify and highlight the potential for future trail projects designed to fill in physical gaps between existing trails. Utilizing newly proposed trail segments as provided by FPDCC, we split the trails and defined them by the environment through which they traveled (eg. floodways, wetlands, streams streets, and rail crossings). Each trail segment was assigned a ‘cost to build’ value, which was then used as a multiplier to create a total cost for each trail gap. To conduct the trail inventory and assessment, we equipped a Trek Verve+ 2 Lowstep electric bike with sensors (rRuf data capture app by Rival Solutions) that measured the trail’s roughness. We also utilized a camera that generated over 620,000 images that correlated to the roughness data. For purposes of future inspections and analysis, we created a Survey123 app. Our efforts contributed to existing conditions assessments and cost analyses that are usually required to develop new trails. We helped FPDCC make informed decisions and plan effectively.