Help on the way for Geneva roads

Geneva is planning repairs for its pothole-ravaged roads and streets this spring.

City officials will vote on emergency pavement repairs at the next city council meeting April 7. Repair work will target Route 31, both north and south of Route 38, as well as Western Avenue, Fargo Boulevard and sections of Route 25.

"We all deplore the state of the roads," said 5th Ward Alderman Paul DesCoteaux. He added that he was concerned about the town's damaged roads giving a poor impression to new visitors.

According to Jason Elias, assistant director of public works, the city plans to resurface Western Avenue as well as the southern lane of Fargo Boulevard.

Geneva Construction Inc. will carry out the emergency repairs, which will cost the city about $172,655.

After a long winter, the city is not dealing with ordinary potholes, Elias added.

"These are potholes where a significant portion of the pavement has deteriorated. It will require grinding and resurfacing," he said.

According to Elias, Geneva Construction has indicated its readiness to begin repair work quickly.

"Of course, it depends on the weather, but mid- to late April is probably a fair guess," Elias said of a possible start date.

Another badly damaged roadway does not have a repair date yet. Elias said the Illinois Department of Transportation has removed Route 38 from its list of scheduled work.

Originally, repair work was to take place on Route 38 between Randall Road on the city's west side and Anderson Boulevard, a section with significant pavement deterioration.

"We thought IDOT would fix it, but there were misunderstandings," Elias said. He added that the city is working with the agency to reschedule the work, hopefully for late spring.