Winfield underpass finally a go

Winfield leaders have approved plans for a long-sought and controversial pedestrian underpass, and construction could begin as early as June.

Still, Village Manager Bill Barlow said it's not a done deal until bids for the $3.6 million project come back at the budgeted amount.

"(The underpass project) went from a rotting, stinking corpse and it has been resurrected," Barlow said Friday. "It's healthy right now, but it remains to be seen whether or not it's all going to be done."

For several years, Winfield leaders have been debating the idea of installing the pedestrian underpass near the village's Metra station. Some residents voiced opposition to the plan during that time.

When the proposal came to the board again in July, village board members were divided on whether to move forward. Since then, residents who want to see the underpass built have been attending meetings and distributing information trying to gain support for the project. Finally, their efforts paid off.

The underground crossing would run beneath the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, east of the existing train station.

Plans call for the 110-foot-long underpass to be handicapped accessible. It also would have stairs, ramps and security measures to deter any possible criminal activity - which has previously been mentioned as a concern for going forward with the project.

Union Pacific is expected to contribute up to $815,000 for the underpass. The remaining roughly $2.8 million would be paid for with state and federal grant money, officials said.

The project would take about 18 months to complete.

Barlow said a specialized construction process would be followed because train traffic has to be maintained throughout.

"They'll drill a hole underneath the train tracks, then put in precast concrete sections to support the train above," he said. "So it'll be a pretty cool project to look at when it gets done."