Naperville seeks input on Route 59 improvements

Naperville is giving residents an opportunity to be back-seat drivers as it makes plans to widen Route 59.

The city and the Illinois Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing today to discuss improvements for the three-mile stretch from Aurora Avenue to Ferry Road.

The meeting will be an open house format from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at Hill Middle School, 1836 Brookdale Road. There will be no formal presentation.

"The main purpose is to give the public and any interested stakeholder the opportunity to come and see what the design is for the corridor for the expansion," project engineer Jennifer Louden said.

She said input from prior public meetings has been incorporated into the designs so residents can see how their ideas have been put to use as well as giving additional feedback.

More than 50,000 vehicles a day travel the three-mile stretch of Route 59, resulting in more than 400 crashes a year. Causing some of the traffic congestion are the Metra station just west of the study area and the Westfield Fox Valley Shopping Center just south.

The city is proposing making Route 59 three lanes going both north and south and adding turn lanes and through lanes at many of the intersections. To improve safety, more sidewalks, crosswalks and pedestrian signals will be added.

Widening of Route 59 has been a priority for years but funding wasn't available until the state's approval this summer of a $31 billion capital spending plan. Roughly $125 million was earmarked for the Route 59 project.

After today's public meeting there will be an additional month for residents to give their input. The city then will finalize its proposal and seek approval from state and federal officials.

The project also will require acquiring land along Route 59. Officials hope to start construction in 2012.