Route 47 lane closures continue in Huntley

Road closures will continue next month as part of a project to widen Route 47 through Huntley.

The Union Pacific Railroad will close Route 47 at the railroad crossing from 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8, to noon Monday, Oct. 11, to widen the roadway from three lanes to five. A section of the railroad track also will be reconfigured to allow for the new traffic pattern.

Southbound traffic on Route 47 will be diverted to Algonquin Road east to Haligus Road, south to Main Street and west back to Route 47. Traffic headed north along Route 47 will follow the detour in reverse.

Barb Read, a village management assistant, said stores along Route 47 will remain open during the road closure.

"There will be access to all of the businesses down there," Read said. "We hope people will continue to shop in the area."

Read said the work at the railroad track was scheduled to coincide with the Columbus Day holiday to minimize disruption of school bus routes.

In addition, Mill Street west of Route 47 to Lincoln Street will be closed starting Monday, Sept. 27, and will reopen on Thursday, Sept. 30. Read said the road will be closed for sanitary sewer work. The closure will affect patrons of the Huntley Park District offices and recreation center on Mill Street, Read said. The park district amenities will be accessible via West Main Street.

The Route 47 widening project, which began earlier this year, will add lanes as well as a median barrier from Kreutzer Road to Reed Road for a total of 21/2 miles. The total cost of the project is about $23 million, with the village's share of the costs estimated at about $5.82 million. The village set aside about $1.94 million in 2009 year with a similar amount required for the 2010 fiscal year.

The Illinois Department of Transportation is expected to complete the project next fall.