The newer of the two sections, between
Villa Park and
West Chicago in
DuPage County, is made up of right-of-way that was abandoned piecemeal throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. As the railway was abandoned, the government of DuPage County made upgrades to the path, and between 1990 through 1992, the trail was converted from a rail grade to a bicycle trail. The crushed stone path crosses some farmland and suburban areas. At the east end of the trail is a restored former CGW depot building. The Great Western trail also was extended to make a connection with the
Illinois Prairie Path in 1995. In 1998, a new bridge was built over
Interstate 355, while the next year, a new bridge was built over the West Branch of the
DuPage River. A three-bridge pedestrian overpass, completed in 2012 in Lombard, spans St. Charles Road, the
Metra Union Pacific West Line tracks and Grace Street. The Lombard bridge complex is approximately 2 miles east of the
Interstate 355 bridge, and these four bridges unify the eastern four miles of the trail. This eastern section of Great Western Trail starts at Villa Avenue in
Villa Park joined to the Illinois Prairie Path and rejoins the Illinois Prairie Path just west of Prince Crossing Road in
West Chicago. In 2018, the trail was extended further west to Sassafras Drive in West Chicago. The Great Western Trail is designated as DuPage County Highway 55 for its entire length. ==See also==