Mt. Prospect set to take over Kensignton Road after $3.3 million reconstruction
A $3.3 million project to improve and widen Kensington Road in Mount Prospect will end later this year with the roadway under village control.
The village board this week agreed to accept jurisdiction from the Illinois Department of Transportation of the stretch of Kensington from Forest Avenue to Elmhurst Road. The move means the village will have responsibility for maintenance, repairs, snow removal and signage for that portion of Kensington.
Public Works Director Sean Dorsey said IDOT is focusing on major arterial roads and trying to transfer smaller roads under its jurisdiction to local governments. As an incentive, IDOT is fixing the roads before the local agencies take over.
Dorsey said the village’s interests are served because it receives an improved road and achieves a better flow of traffic between Randhurst Village and Prospect High School.
Village Trustee Paul Hoefert said the Mount Prospect has had successful examples of jurisdictional transfers in the past, most notably along Wolf Road. And because the work being done to Kensington this year includes a complete reconstruction, officials do not expect its maintenance to be costly for the village.
Village Manager Michael Janonis added that the village has been vigilant in caring for roads that come under its jurisdiction, noting that it paid immediate attention when sewer problems surfaced along Wolf Road.
The village’s takeover will come seven days after IDOT completes the reconstruction project, which officials expect to be finished in November.
The work will include construction of a three-lane cross-section, Dorsey said, with right-turn lanes added at Kensington’s intersections with Elmhurst and Rand roads.
The project also includes sidewalk, streetlight and storm sewer improvements. The village’s share of the cost will be $66,000.
Trustee A. John Korn pointed out that the work and the jurisdiction agreement is the result of a long process.
“This is not just something that came up. This has been in the works for several years,” Korn said. “Nothing happens quickly. It takes years to go ahead and get something to this point.”