Funding cuts mean lighter summer roadwork in the suburbs

If you're fuming in gridlock along I-90 this summer, take comfort in the fact it could be much worse.

For many drivers in the West and Northwest suburbs, the 2011 construction season is relatively light compared to previous years when the Illinois tollway's $6 billion rebuild program was in full swing.

This year, “we have $192 million worth of work, which is nowhere close to what we were doing a couple of years ago,” tollway Executive Director Kristi Lafleur said.

Meanwhile, county highway departments with limited dollars are focusing on repairing and maintaining existing roads.

“We continue to be in a maintenance mode where we're repairing and maintaining the system we have with enhancements when there's funding,” DuPage Director of Transportation and Operations John Kos said.

And major state highway projects in the metropolitan area are located to the south, unlike in 2010 when the Eisenhower Expressway resurfacing caused localized congestion.

But that doesn't mean there won't be traffic jams and delays as roadwork heats up.

Here's a look at some regional trouble spots.

• Resurfacing on I-90 is occurring near the Belvidere Oasis from Route 20 to Genoa Road and from the Elgin Toll Plaza to Barrington Road.

• The ramp from southbound I-294 to eastbound I-90 will be repaired and widened this summer. The bridge will be closed and detours posted.

• I-55 between I-355 and Kedzie is being resurfaced along with improvements to the highway shoulder in preparation for a new express bus route.

• The Congress Parkway bridge rebuild is continuing with two lanes open inbound and one lane open outbound.

• Five bridges are being repaired on the Tri-State at Everett Road in Lake Forest, at I-55, and in the South suburbs at Chicago Road, Vincennes Road and 159th Street.

• I-80 from Grundy County to Route 45 is being resurfaced. Traffic will be down to one lane in each direction in some areas.

Federal money for highway projects is another factor in the underwhelming construction climate. Economic stimulus revenues are drying up and Congress has yet to approve a multiyear surface transportation bill.

Even if such a measure is enacted, it's predicted to be stingier than previous ones, reflecting declining revenues from gas taxes, said Congressman Dan Lipinski, a Western Springs Democrat who sits on the House Transportation Committee.

The House's version of the surface transportation bill could come in at around $212 billion, compared to $256 billion in 2005, Lipinski noted. And finding consensus with the Senate is iffy.

“It's going to be very, very difficult for anything to get done in this Congress,” he said.

The tollway, however, is expected to announce a new building program in the near future that will address an anticipated rebuild of I-90 and likely the much-anticipated extension of the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway and western bypass around the airport.

“Over the next couple of months, the plan should be coming together and we'll have a better sense of future activity,” Lafleur said.

The conservative mood is also affected by high fuel prices. Motorists are conserving gas and driving less, which means a smaller share of motor fuel taxes, Kos added.

“We're cautious about being too far ahead of the revenue stream,” he said.

The good news for local governments is that less work means competition among road builders for projects, Kane County Assistant Director of Transportation Manny Gomez said. “It's a great time to do construction; we're seeing good bid prices.”

In addition to expressways, numerous arterial roads will get a makeover this summer. Some examples follow.

• Route 56 (Butterfield Road) will be rebuilt and widened in Warrenville and Wheaton.

• Route 47 is being rebuilt from Kreutzer Road to Reed Road in Huntley with lane closures.

• Later this summer, Milwaukee Avenue will be widened from Route 120 to Route 137 in Libertyville with expected lane closures.

Roadwork snarls to avoid

<b>Cook County</b>

• Reconstruction on Arlington Heights Road from University Drive to Lake Cook Road.

• Repairs on Lake Cook Road between Wilmot and Pfingsten Road.

• Repairs on Willow Road between Schoenbeck and Wheeling roads.

• Additional lanes being built on Algonquin Road between Eastings Way and Penny Road.

• Road widening on Biesterfield Road between Rohlwing Road and I-290.

<b>Kane County</b>

• Intersection improvements at Route 72 and Randall Road.

• Bridge repairs at Keslinger Road over Mill Creek and Randall Road over I-88.

• Reconstruction and widening of Orchard Road between Route 30 and Jericho Road.

• Resurfacing on: Randall Road between Silver Glen and Hopps roads; Fabyan Parkway in the vicinity of Kingsland Drive; and Cherry Lane near the Kane County Cougars stadium.

<b>McHenry County</b>

• Widening on Rakow Road between Route 31 and Ackman Road.

• Widening on Walkup Road between Route 176 and Bull Valley Road.

• Resurfacing on Cary Road between routes 14 and 31.

• Reconstruction of Route 47 between Kreutzer and Reed roads.

<b>Lake County</b>

• Milwaukee Avenue will be widened from Route 120 to Route 137.

• Reconstruction on Washington Street from Hunt Club Road to Route 21.

• Resurfacing at: Winchester Road between Route 45 and Butterfield Road; Pulaski Drive from Route 43 to Route 131; Gilmer Road from Diamond Lake Road to Hawley Street; Roberts Road from the McHenry County line to Route 59.

• The Midlothian Road extension from Peterson Road to Route 137.

<b>DuPage County</b>

• Reconstruction and widening on Butterfield Road in Wheaton and Warrenville.

• Widening on 22nd Street between Route 83 and Butterfield Road.

• Bridge construction on Route 53 at the East Branch of the DuPage River.

• Resurfacing on Addison Road from Lake Street to Irving Park Road.

• Resurfacing on 75th Street between Washington Street and Route 53.

• Reconstruction on Lake Street between Walnut Street and York Road.