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Massive Barrington public works project on the way

Village says long-needed sewer work, roadwork will happen together

The village of Barrington will embark on one of its largest public works projects next year: An $8 million plan to replace aging sanitary sewers, a water main, and streets in and around the village's downtown.

Jason Hayden, the village's treasurer and director of financial services, said the work, beginning in the spring, will include tearing up residential streets and portions of the Metra commuter parking lot, and slant-drilling to access portions of the sewer system beneath the train tracks.

“It is a significant piece of infrastructure,” Hayden said. “The village hasn't undertaken a project of this size for a long time.”

Sections of several streets just south of the Metra station will be torn up and replaced as part of the work, including East Lincoln Avenue, East Russell Street and South Spring Street.

On the other side of the tracks, similar work will be done on North Avenue from East Main Street to East Liberty Street and then west to West Liberty Street.

The work will continue under Route 59 and the EJ&E Canadian National Railway.

The project also includes replacement of a 40-year-old water main near Hart Road.

The work will be funded through an $8 million bond issue the village board approved in July.

Hayden said some of the roads that will be torn up and replaced are among the worst in the village.

“We've been holding off on repairing those roads because we knew that the sanitary main and stormwater mains would need work,” he said Monday. “We wouldn't want to repave roads knowing that we needed to tear them up to do underground work later.”

From there, the line goes north on North Avenue to East Liberty Street, west to West Liberty Street and under Route 59 and the EJ&E/Canadian National Railway, he said.

Hayden said the village borrowed money for the project in August because he believed the Federal Reserve would increase interest rates around the time it needed to have the money for the project.

The Federal Reserve approved an interest rate hike earlier this month.

Hayden said the project likely will take eight to 12 months to complete.

Barrington to spend $8 million on infrastructure

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