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Naperville improving safety with intersection upgrades

Two well-traveled intersections in Naperville are in line for improvements this year - one to increase safety and another to facilitate extra traffic from new development.

City officials say the work should improve conditions at Book Road and 75th Street, where DuPage County is leading a safety project, and at Aurora Avenue and Webster Street, where a traffic signal is necessary because of the hotel, restaurants, shops and parking under construction at the Water Street District.

At Book Road and 75th Street, about 30 crashes each year were recorded during a recent five-year period.

The county plans to add a right-turn lane from southbound Book to westbound 75th, lengthen left-turn lanes from 75th onto Book in both directions, adjust signal timings and realign a pedestrian path as part of the $654,000 project, said Christopher Snyder, director of transportation and DuPage County engineer.

In 2014, the county received $590,000 in federal funds to improve the intersection after discovering it was the site of 153 crashes during the previous five years. Some crashes injured pedestrians using the Southern DuPage Regional Trail through Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve, Snyder said.

The path crosses Book Road slightly south of the intersection. So when drivers inch forward, they sometimes come between the path and the intersection, forcing bikers or runners to cross between vehicles.

"Part of our project will realign that path to bring it tighter to the intersection," Snyder said.

Better alignment will help drivers see path users more clearly, he said. A walk signal button also will be added, and drivers will be restricted to turning left on green arrows.

Construction is expected to begin this summer after the Illinois Department of Transportation seeks bids and awards a contract.

Once the signal improvements are made, the city of Naperville will be responsible for $450 a year in maintenance and about $500 a year in electricity costs under an intergovernmental agreement the council could approve during its meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the municipal center at 400 S. Eagle St.

The council also will consider a contract for addition of a traffic signal at Aurora Avenue and Webster Street.

Traffic studies in 2010 and 2014 concluded the signal will be necessary with the anticipated opening this fall of the Water Street Hospitality district, anchored by a 158-room Hotel Indigo and including a 520-space parking garage.

The signal will make it easier for people to access shops and restaurants, the municipal center and the Naper Settlement across Aurora Avenue at 523 S. Webster, said Bill Novack, the city's director of transportation, engineering and development.

"It's basically a signal of convenience and safe access for all the people that come into this area of downtown," Novack said.

The new signal will be coordinated with others at Eagle and Washington Streets, but drivers could be stopped more often through the stretch.

The council could approve construction of the signal for a $347,429 contract with Thorne Electric of Carol Stream. The deal costs about $10,000 more than the engineer's estimate, but half the cost will be paid by Water Street District developer Marquette Companies.

  A traffic signal will be installed at Aurora Avenue and Webster Street this summer in Naperville. The signal will help visitors access a new hotel, shops and restaurants at the Water Street District as well as the Naperville municipal center and the Naper Settlement. Bev Horne/bhorne@dailyherald.com
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