Roadwork will close Empire Road for summer

Commuters who travel in or near Lily Lake will face two months of rerouting away from a major route as roadwork begins Monday.

Kane County will begin a culvert improvement program on Empire Road starting at 7 a.m. Monday between Route 47 and Burlington Road. The work is anticipated to take two months to complete as the county's department of transportation will replace the entire existing culvert pipe with a new a culvert, shore up walls to reduce erosion on the banks, perform numerous concrete repairs and install shoulders and guardrail.

There will be no access to Empire Road for commuters during the duration of the work. Travel delays should be expected, and construction zone speed limits will be enforced. A detour will be posted that directs traffic around the road using Route 47 and Burlington Road. Residents and businesses within the construction zone will still have access to their property.

The project is one of 76 KDOT has on tap for the year. The projects, which are in various stages of engineering, land acquisition and construction will cost about $74.2 million this year. KDOT's five-year project plan list has a total cost of $363 million. Funding for the work comes from the transportation sales tax, state and local motor fuel taxes, the county's overall tax levy, impact fees and state and local funds.