Book Road in Naperville could reopen between 75th and 83rd streets by month’s end

Naperville residents who’ve been unable to use Book Road for most of the year will see a little relief once the stretch between 75th and 83rd streets reopens by month’s end.

The closure has been for the WaterLink project, a 30-mile water pipeline extension project that’s to bring Lake Michigan water to the communities of Yorkville, Oswego and Montgomery. It requires the installation of a 54-inch diameter pipe about 10 feet beneath the roadway.

“It’s important because these communities are currently on an aquifer that is going to run out of water as early as 2050,” project spokesperson Jessica James said. “So, in less than 25 years, those communities will not have water (without it).”

Construction of the $400 million project started in December 2025 and is expected to finish in 2028.

The project has required the full closure of Book Road from 75th Street to 87th Street and a partial closure from 87th Street to 95th Street, where only local southbound traffic is permitted. Additional closures heading south along Book Road will follow, with construction in the area expected to continue into 2027.

The section between 83rd and 87th streets, specifically, is expected to last into the fall while the partial closure between 95th and 87th Streets is to go through the end of the year. Once those sections reopen, work will continue on Book Road south of 95th Street extending to the south side of Frontier Park before turning west into the ComEd right-of-way, James said.

“(Traffic) will get better once we turn into the ComEd right-of-way,” she said.

Residents have already received a little bit of relief along Book Road when a section between Rickert Drive and 75th Street reopened Aug. 28.

“It is very disruptive for those living in Naperville,” James said, noting that residents have voiced complaints and concerns about the traffic associated with the project.

Workers knew that Book Road, in particular, was going to be a challenge due to the fact that it is in a heavily residential area with some streets having only one way in and out.

Despite the issues, James said WaterLink officials have tried to work as much as possible with residents to address concerns, communicating via email, phone and social media.

“Along Brook Road, I would say our construction area has been a bit iterative because we really listened to the residents to make sure we made that corridor … as safe as possible,” James said.

Initially, two-way traffic between 87th and 95th Streets was permitted, but crews soon realized that maintaining two-way traffic was not the safest option, leading traffic to be reduced to southbound-only traffic.

Outside of Book Road, a full closure is also in place along 248th Avenue between 95th Street and Trumpet Avenue, which is anticipated to last through the fall. Recently, work along 248th Avenue extended south, with local traffic only maintained from Trumpet Avenue to just south of Lapp Lane.

Crews are also working along 95th Street between Wolf’s Crossing Road and 248th Avenue, which is also expected to last into the fall.

Though work for the WaterLink project is taking place in Naperville, city residents are not footing the bill for the construction. Rather, the communities of Montgomery, Oswego and Yorkville are all taking on the construction costs with some help from federal funding.

cstein@chicagotribune.com