Hill Street project completed in East Dundee

A project to replace an antiquated lift station and allow for through traffic on Hill Street in downtown East Dundee has been completed.

Previously, decades-old equipment for the village's water and sewage systems had been kept in an aboveground pump house, which sat directly in the middle of Hill Street.

The village last fall began a project to replace the equipment, move it underground and remove the pump house. At a cost of about $300,000, that process is finished, Public Works Director Jim Kelly said, and the new lift station is connected to all emergency lines.

With the pump house no longer blocking Hill Street, the ground has also been leveled and paved, allowing the road to run from Water Street to east of Van Buren Street for the first time.

The Fox River Bike Trail, which was blocked by the project's construction, has also reopened with a designated path for bikers to cross the newly paved section of Hill Street.

Village Administrator Bob Skurla said earlier the project was part of the first phase of East Dundee's redevelopment plan, and costs were included in a budgeted $2.4 million for downtown improvements. The Hill Street project is expected to help with traffic congestion and parking.