The Public Works Department constructed an asphalt path along West Street from the Naperville Central soccer fields to the edge of the gravel parking lot at the end of Martin Avenue.

The path replaced a sidewalk that was frequently used by Central students who park in the gravel lot daily. 

“There were some safety issues, the sidewalk was right next to the curb, which meant right next to the street,” said Dick Dublinski, director of public works for the City of Naperville. “It was only three feet wide. So it made it a very dangerous place to walk for a lot of people, especially for students of Central.”

The new asphalt path can easily accommodate bikes and multiple modes of transportation, unlike the former narrow sidewalk.

“It’s kind of annoying that the sidewalk was only two people wide and at the times we would pass someone it could be pretty narrow,” junior Alex Leakeas said.

The gravel lot is run by the Naperville Park District and available for Central students to buy a permit for usage. As a result, it typically sees a large increase in traffic around Central’s arrival and dismissal times.

“I can imagine that when people are getting to school late it’ll be helpful with the crowds,” Leakeas said.

The Public Works department also tested out a new, more environmentally friendly mix of asphalt during the construction of the path.

“We used a cold mix asphalt instead of a hot mix asphalt,” Dublinski said. “The cold mix doesn’t use any heat, so it has a bunch of benefits, especially for the environment.  The construction industry came up with this stuff to fight greenhouse gasses.”