Four Northwest suburbs, DuPage County get $5.8 million for infrastructure upgrades

Four Northwest suburbs and DuPage County will benefit from infrastructure projects enabled by nearly $5.8 million in federal funding presented Thursday by U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi.

Des Plaines City Hall hosted the event highlighting five projects spearheaded by Bartlett, Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Schaumburg and DuPage.

“Today is really about infrastructure,” said Krishnamoorthi, a Schaumburg Democrat. “Recently, a lot of our infrastructure has been tested — tested during storms.”

Des Plaines received the largest amount — $1.8 million for a project to separate the grades of Algonquin Road and a railroad line, where one of the city’s fire stations becomes isolated from the rest of the community when trains roll through.

Des Plaines Mayor Andrew Goczkowski said that while the city has 31 at-grade railroad crossings that can all snarl traffic, addressing this one is especially important.

“This is a project that’s many decades coming,” he said.

Goczkowski thanked Congress for recognizing such issues often are beyond the financial means of local governments.

Bartlett received $1.5 million for improvements to the intersection of Route 25 and West Bartlett Road, including dedicated turn lanes in each direction and a pedestrian bridge.

Bartlett Village President Dan Gunsteen said the project will not only improve traffic flow but also improve the safety of kids walking to and from school.

Schaumburg received just over $1.15 million for improvements at the intersection of Algonquin Road and Hammond Drive, west of the ongoing transformation of the former Motorola campus into the mixed-use Veridian development.

Schaumburg Mayor Tom Dailly said the project will help mitigate the impacts of industrial traffic from businesses along Hammond on the growing residential area nearby.

“This intersection has desperately needed to be improved,” he added.

Elk Grove Village received nearly $1.1 million for its first water-main lining project that will rehabilitate 15 critical sections of its more than 180 miles of aging pipes.

Public Works Director Bryan Grippo said the work builds new pipes within the old ones without any external impact on residents’ properties.

DuPage County, meanwhile, plans to use the $240,000 it received to help reduce flooding in the Nelsons Highview neighborhood near Newton Avenue and Second Street in the Glendale Heights area, officials said.

Sarah Hunn, the county’s stormwater management director, said the existing storm sewer in that area can’t handle runoff during most storms, causing flooding that has damaged homes and closed roads to even emergency vehicles.

“This project is small but mighty,” Hunn said. “What it will do for the residents is huge. It’s going to mean the world for those people who live there.”

epeterson@dailyherald.com