N. Aurora approves road project

Some traffic delays on one of North Aurora's busiest streets next year should give way to an easier drive in the future.

North Aurora's village board this week approved a $3 million project to rebuild Oak Street between Randall Road and Route 31.

Construction will start in April and should finish in the fall. Although the village has to pay the money up front, a total of $1.75 million will be reimbursed from the state and county, Village Administrator Sue McLaughlin said.

Oak will be expanded from two to three lanes, with the third being a continuous turn lane.

"Obviously there are going to be delays while the construction is taking place, and we'll do our best to redirect as much traffic as we can. But when it's done, it will help traffic flow a great deal," McLaughlin said.

She added that the new turn lane at Sycamore Street in particular will benefit residents looking to move from one side of town to the other. It will also be a smoother ride.

The village had put off repairs to Oak for a while in anticipation of the complete reconstruction. McLaughlin said any money spent improving anything other than necessary fixes would have been a waste.

However, the project will not include the improvement of a key intersection.

McLaughlin said the village lobbied state officials to complete a needed improvement to the Route 31 and Oak intersection, which the village considers dangerous. The project would widen the intersection and install a traffic signal.

However, that is not a village project, and the intersection is not considered enough of a safety hazard to fast-track the improvement, McLaughlin said. Initially, the traffic signal was to be installed before the Oak widening.

Without the improvement to the intersection, village officials believe the intersection will remain accident-prone.