Work set to begin at busy Naperville intersection

Naperville area officials took a break from shoveling snow Wednesday to shovel a little dirt instead.

Undeterred by the frozen turf, they celebrated the start of a $24.3 million road widening project at 75th and Washington streets with a groundbreaking ceremony.

"It's very appropriate that it is cold and snowy as most people thought it would be a cold day in (Hades) before this project would take off," DuPage County Board member Jim Healy said.

Roughly 65,000 vehicles travel through the intersection daily. The congestion at the site has been on the radar of city and county planners since 2001.

Mayor George Pradel said improvements will "enhance traffic flow and help to ensure safe travel for pedestrians and motorists."

The plans call for additional through lanes of traffic in each direction and additional left turn and dedicated right turn lanes.

The DuPage River Trail also will be extended from Hobson Road to Bunting Lane, new pedestrian underpasses will be created under both 75th and Washington streets, and a sound wall will be built along the Maplebrook subdivision.

Park board President Suzanne Hart said the project will enhance Naperville's trails and parks.

"With the need for exercise and alternative transportation growing more urgent each year, we celebrate this essential project knowing the positive impact it will have for our residents," she said.

Work is starting this winter to relocate utilities. Major construction will begin in March with a target completion date of 2011. The project is a partnership among Naperville, DuPage County, the DuPage Forest Preserve District and Naperville Park District. Funding will come from the city and county as well as federal grants.

"Today in Illinois we're faced with major budget constraints not just at the state level but filtering all the way down to the local level," said Mike Connelly, a member of the DuPage County Board and incoming state representative. "Today is a celebration of a public-public partnership that really should be a model going forward in the state of Illinois."

Lane closures will be necessary during construction. The city suggests using Naper Boulevard, Route 59 and Plainfield/Naperville Road and West Street for north/south travel. Motorists can use Chicago and Aurora avenues, Ogden Avenue, Diehl Road, 87th Street and Royce Road, Boughton Road and 111th Street as alternates for heading east and west.

A detour map is available online at naperville.il.us/75andwashimprovements.aspx.