Street projects starting next month in Elgin

Capital improvement projects - including street resurfacing, sanitary sewer work and bridge rehabilitation - are expected to kick off next month in Elgin.

Mike Pubentz, the city's senior engineer for capital projects, told the city council Wednesday night the scope of this year's $6.4 million capital program "is a little bit smaller" than last year's, which totaled $8.5 million, but "still fairly significant."

The projects include 8.73 miles of street improvements, about a half-mile in new sanitary sewer, sanitary sewer lining work at 15 locations and bridge rehabilitation at 15 locations.

The city council approved the first set of construction bids Wednesday night, and the work is expected to start next month.

City spokeswoman Molly Center said door hangers with information about the upcoming work will be used to notify residents in the affected areas. They can also check cityofelgin.org/construction and sign up for email updates.

Bids for seasonal work typically go out earlier in the spring. This year, it took a little longer because City Engineer Joe Evers retired last year and Pubentz was hired in late March, Center said.

Pubentz said he's confident that with "typical" weather conditions, the work can be done by November. Still, "We're going to have to push to get this going," he said.

Resurfacing work will include 14 streets in the northeast neighborhood just north of downtown, bordered by Kimball Street to the south, the Fox River to the west, Congdon Avenue to the north and Dundee Avenue to the east.

Another 4.75 miles of streets will be resurfaced in the so-called "Elgin National Watch District" area south of National Street, plus parts of so-called "collector streets" - McLean Boulevard, Valley Creek Drive and South Water Road - on the west side.

A "pretty major" new sanitary sewer spanning 2,900 feet will be installed from the recently completed South Street extension through the Otter Creek Shopping Center, 250 S. Randall Road, Pubentz said. The work will total $1.19 million.

Sanitary sewer lining and bridge rehabilitation work will take place across the city, he said.

There will be temporary lane closures along the Kimball Street bridge, but it's unclear if that will take place during the weekday or weekend. "We will put forward a traffic control plan," he said.