Work begins to replace century-old railroad bridge in Naperville

Construction has begun to replace a 110-year-old railroad bridge over North Aurora Road in Naperville.

It is the final stage of construction for the North Aurora Road Improvement Project, a 20-year effort to reduce congestion and crashes on North Aurora.

Naperville, the Naperville Township Road District, and the city of Aurora signed an agreement in 2006 for the project, with Naperville taking the lead. The plan was revived in 2015.

The road used to be two lanes. Naperville officials said that caused congestion, which made it difficult for residents along the road to turn out of their driveways. The city also said the congestion caused crashes and that it expected traffic to continue to increase.

During the first phase, the road was widened to five lanes from Fairway Drive to Frontenac Road. They also added a multi-use trail, a sidewalk and a noise-reduction wall.

That work was finished in 2023.

Besides building a new bridge, a pump station is being added to improve drainage at the underpass, and a temporary bridge is being built. Construction is estimated to cost $52 million.

Work should be finished by the end of 2027, according to a Naperville news release.

This fall, most of the work will be on the shoulder, with intermittent lane closures. One lane will be open in each direction.

In the spring, traffic will be detoured as the bridge is removed, a large gas pipeline is moved and the new bridge is built.

For more information and updates, visit naperville.il.us/north-aurora-improvements.