Butterfield Road improvement project begins

Motorists in Wheaton and Warrenville are facing new challenges as construction begins at two major intersections along Butterfield Road.

Traffic on Route 59 in Warrenville and Naperville Road in Wheaton was reduced to one lane in each direction at the intersections as part of a project that eventually will widen six miles of Butterfield Road to four lanes. The work also includes installation of a grass median and construction of a bike path.

The lane closures on Naperville Road and Route 59 are expected to last between two and three weeks, Illinois Department of Transportation spokesman Guy Tridgell said.

The entire $52.6 million improvement project is scheduled for completion in fall 2012.

Crews were excavating the intersections and portions of Butterfield Road Wednesday as part of work to install temporary pavement and traffic signals just before the first major phase of the widening project.

In that initial phase, expected to be complete this year, two eastbound lanes will be added on the south side of Butterfield Road. The work will then shift to the north side in 2012 as the newly built lanes serve as the main road.

Major intersections along Butterfield will be rebuilt and modernized during the project with additional turn lanes.

During the past several weeks, temporary traffic signals and construction zone signs were put in place along the route in anticipation of the work.

Two bridges, one at Ferry Creek and another spanning the west branch of the DuPage River, will be replaced as part of the project, which will be paid for primarily by IDOT.