South Street extension moving forward in Elgin
A long-standing plan to extend South Street on Elgin's west side is finally moving forward.
The city council Wednesday gave preliminary approval to a $305,000 engineering agreement with Engineering Enterprises Inc. of Sugar Grove for the project, which would extend the road by 1.7 miles between Longcommon Parkway and Randall Road.
A small, stand-alone portion of South Street runs on the north end of the Waterford subdivision. The project would connect that portion to Longcommon Parkway to the west and to the end of South Street by the Target store on Randall Road to the east.
City Engineer Joe Evers said he hopes to start construction in the fall and finish by the end of 2016.
Construction costs, roughly estimated at $6 million to $7.5 million, will be determined by engineering, Evers said. The city plans to use $6 million it has already collected in development impact fees, he said.
Mayor David Kaptain said the project will help reduce traffic gridlock in the area.
"It's very good news," said resident Clifford Leegard, who lives nearby west of Longcommon Parkway.
Longcommon Parkway is the only direct way to access Route 20 to the north, which can be difficult during rush hour, Leegard said.
"When you get on Route 20, it's becoming more and more dangerous getting into traffic. It's all about timing it right," he said. "It's not a huge issue, but it's definitely a concern."
The South Street extension had been on the back burner after the recession-era bankruptcy of Waterford developer Kimball Hill, which was supposed to perform part of the work. The city is now taking on the entire project, which includes extending sewer lines.
Waterford subdivision resident Purvi Patel agreed it would improve traffic along Longcommon Parkway, but she also said that overall she's not happy.
"That's kind of my backyard, and it's just open land, an open field," she said. "There's going to be a lot of traffic (along the new road) and it's definitely going to be noisy."
Evers said the road will have landscaped medians and trees on both sides.
City officials hope the new road will facilitate commercial development.
"This is a big issue from an economic development perspective," Councilman Toby Shaw said.
Patel, however, said she worries new commercial development will change the character of the neighborhood and questioned whether it will affect property values.
Environmental permits for construction in the Otter Creek area expire in 2015, but Evers said he is hopeful the project's timing will work out.
The extended street will also benefit the Providence and Shadow Hill subdivisions nearby, city officials said.