Widening starts Wednesday for Eola Road in Aurora

A long-awaited $10.3 million project to widen Eola Road between Keating and Montgomery roads will begin Wednesday on the far east side of Aurora.

"It's the last stretch of Eola that isn't at least two lanes in each direction," Alderman Rick Mervine said. "After 14 years, this expansion from two lanes to really five lanes is finally going to happen."

The speed limit along Eola will drop to 25 mph during construction and there will be daily lane closures. Flaggers will direct traffic, but the city warns drivers to expect delays, especially during peak commuting times.

Much of the work is expected to be finished this year by contractor D Construction, but lane closures will continue next year as crews complete final surfacing and landscaping, said Chris Lirot, road and bridge coordinator.

When the work is finished, the stretch of Eola will feature two lanes in each direction and a center turn lane.

The expansion will make travel easier for far east side residents, especially those in the Will County section of the city, Mervine said.

The project also includes construction of a sidewalk on the east side of Eola, a bike path on the west and installation of new storm sewers, a sound barrier wall, streetlights and traffic signals at Montgomery Road and 87th Street.

The city is paying 20 percent of the cost - or about $2 million - while the remaining $8 million will come from federal highway funds.