Bridge, road closures planned in Plato Township, South Elgin

Two area bridges will be replaced starting Monday, with six-month road closures along Nesler Road in Plato Township and McDonald Road in South Elgin.

Nesler Road will be closed from South Street to Bowes Road to replace the bridge over Fitchie Creek in Plato Township. The road will reopen - if all proceeds on schedule - Sept. 10, Plato Township Highway Commissioner Larry Trainor said. The project will cost an estimated $1.4 million to $1.6 million, he said.

McDonald Road will be closed from Thornwood Way to Peppertree Lane to replace the bridge over Otter Creek in South Elgin, Public Works Director Richard Gallas said. The project will cost approximately $2.5 million and the road is expected to reopen in mid-September, he said.

Both projects entail widening the bridges and adding emergency lanes. They are funded at 80 percent by the Federal Highway Administration and at 20 percent by local funds.

The township will be using some of its motor fuel tax revenues, Trainor said. In South Elgin, the money comes out of the capital projects budget, Gallas said.

The contractor for both projects is Dunnet Bay Construction in Glendale Heights. Having two nearby projects typically drives down costs, Trainor and Gallas said.