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Overview:
The Winnetka portion of the Breen Bay Trail (GBT) faces unique challenges due to having much of the trail moved below grade along with the railroad. Since the railroad and trail run roughly 10-15 feet below the surrounding area, the trail must endure unsightly underpasses from the roads above, stagnant water and drainage problems stemming from additional runoff water due to the surrounding slopes, invasive species overcoming the native plant and wildlife populations, and a lack of interaction with the community due to its obscure location, hidden besides the tracks with relatively few entrances.
In order to address these problems, our team has drafted a four part solution to not only restore the health of the trail, but also improve the user experience by making the trail more beautiful and interactive. The four parts include murals, the introduction of cosmetically pleasing plant life, QR codes, and tiered retaining walls.
Murals fill two important roles to improve the underpasses along the GBT. First, they improve the aesthetic of the trail. Secondly, they discourage graffiti, which has been plaguing the underpasses. Besides these roles, the murals can also benefit the community of Winnetka by potentially incorporating artwork from local artists and contributing to the community identity.
Additionally, plants underneath the underpasses were incorporated to further remediate the underpass’s shadowy underbelly and to provide an opportunity to incorporate unique plants that can grow in the direct sun of the rest of the trail. Overall, the plants will provide a significant improvement to the underpasses’ aesthetic.
QR codes will be included underneath the underpasses in order to improve user experience and interactivity of the trail. These QR codes will link users to a GBT webpage about the local plants in the area, what they look like, etc. This will take the underpasses from just passive structures along the trail, which detract from the natural beauty, to areas that users can interact with, and which will contribute to the experience and understanding of the overall trail. This inclusion will make Winnetka's portion of the trail a destination for people to visit, a vast improvement from the state of the trail now.
The final part of the solution, the drainage solution centered around tiered retaining walls, is designed to solve the drainage issues along the slope of the trail. By having a system of level ground and vertical retaining walls, the water runoff from the at-grade level will become more manageable. Additionally, additional ramps built into the foundation of the retaining wall near more populated areas will improve accessibility to the trail and add another layer of importance to the retaining walls. The drainage problem that Winnetka’s portion of the GBT faces will be further addressed through the annual inspection of the drainage pipes by televising, implementing catch-basins in the storm inlets, and grading the ground such that there is a positive slope extending from the storm-inlets. In accordance with the tentative budget researched by the team, the drainage solution will be implemented through a tiered system of options, ranging from the cheapest, low-impact solution, to the most expensive, high-impact solution. The least expensive, Tier 3, will involve an annual inspection of the drainage pipes with televising, and utilizing volunteers and existing WPD/FGBT staff to grade the ground such that there is a positive slope of 1% extending from the storm-inlets. Tier 2, the middle-of-the-road solution, will involve everything from Tier 3 as well as implementing catch-basins in the storm inlets to catch debris and other material which would otherwise build up in the drain and clog the drains from effectively removing stagnant water. The most expensive, Tier 1, will involve everything from Tier 2 and 3 as well as implementing the tiered retaining wall to address the runoff concerns due to the steep slope, as well as address the accessibility concern of the trail.
Figures:
Figure 20: Isometric sketch of the mural implementation.
Figure 37: Orthographic sketch of the plant implementation.
Figure 38: Orthographic sketch of the tiered retaining wall implementation.
Bill of Materials:
The Bill of Materials is divided by each component and tier of the proposed solution so that the team’s project partners, and professors may easily assess what each component of the design entails and make decisions about spending accordingly.
Figure 39: Bill of materials.
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