Gary Avenue, Orchard Road resurfacing could delay Wheaton drivers

Two major road resurfacing projects will soon begin in Wheaton, and city engineers are telling drivers to plan ahead for some delays.

Contractors will work on the projects concurrently on segments of Gary Avenue and Orchard Road. All lanes on both arterial roads are expected to remain open during the work.

But flaggers could stop traffic in one lane to allow vehicles in the other direction to move around equipment, resulting in "short-lived" delays, says Sarang Lagvankar, the city's senior project engineer. Those disruptions would likely happen outside of rush hour.

Crews will resurface Gary from Harrison Avenue through the intersection at Jewell Road, just north of Cosley Zoo. The city will pay about 45 percent of the roughly $320,000 project; federal funds will cover the rest.

On the city's southwest side near Danada, resurfacing on Orchard will run from Summerfield Court to Wiesbrook Road. Federal grants will cover most the costs of the $430,000 project, while the city will pay 25 percent of the total bill.

The federal dollars are awarded on a street-by-street basis and free up city money for other infrastructure projects, Lagvankar said.

Both of the heavily-traveled roads are due for new pavement. Gary and Orchard were last reconstructed in 1999 and 2003, respectively.

City officials are optimistic that both projects will begin, weather permitting, next week, Lagvankar said. It's his understanding that the Illinois Department of Transportation - the agency overseeing the work - is in the process of approving two subcontractors.

Once crews install electronic message boards along the roads about the impending projects, they generally have seven days to break ground, Lagvankar said.

The project should take about 35 days from start to finish. The city hopes the resurfacing on Gary and Orchard will wrap up by the end of June, Lagvankar said, if not mid-July.