Weather delays closings on Route 59 in Naperville

Driving north on Naperville's Route 59 this week has been much smoother than it was supposed to be.

Thanks to some inclement weather, some miscommunication and some tighter working space, the planned daytime closure of a northbound lane between Dearborn Court and Brookdale Road has yet to occur.

Pavers were supposed to start blocking off the outside northbound lane of the thoroughfare Tuesday, according to a Naperville press release. That didn't happen.

"I talked to the paving company and they told me they thought we wanted them to wait until Wednesday so we would have more time to notify people," said Jana Bryant, a city project engineer.

On Wednesday, workers for Aurora-based Abbey Paving Co. determined they didn't need to block the lane to do the day's work, so it wasn't closed off, said Owen Smith, the company's vice president of sales.

"We managed to do the work in a way that stayed out of the way of traffic," Smith said.

Thursday it rained.

"We're not real anxious to do road work on a day when driving is already hazardous," Smith said.

With rain in the forecast for today, it appears the lane closures now won't begin until next week.

"We plan on good weather, so if the weatherman's wrong we're in a position to get going," Smith said.

The roadwork Smith's company is doing will add a 1,600-foot right-turn lane for a new retail development under construction. The crew received Illinois Department of Transportation approval to close the lane between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays to get the job done.

Bryant was told the job would take about four months.

State officials said the roadwork can't be done overnight because of its proximity to nearby houses.

The state allowed similar lane closures last year for a bridge repair project a few blocks north, but changed the work order to overnights when the first day of work caused massive traffic back-ups.

"Any area that sees economic development and growth also has to experience lane closures, so that the work can proceed," IDOT spokeswoman Marisa Kollias said.

Bryant said back-ups are almost certain when the lane is finally closed for this widening project.