Traffic changes designed for Madison, 53 in Lombard
Preliminary designs have been drawn for road work that will add a traffic signal and allow left turns at Route 53 and Madison Street in Lombard once money for the project is secured.
Widening the streets to allow two new left-turn lanes and one right-turn lane from northbound Route 53 to Madison is expected to cost $2 million, Frank Kalisik, an engineer in Lombard’s public works department, said Wednesday.
The village has authorization to use $278,000 in motor fuel tax funding for the project, but other funds have not yet been found from federal or state sources, Kalisik said.
Although Lombard staff members do not know when funding will be available to start the project’s next step — preparation of construction documents — they are planning an open house for 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 22, in the community room at village hall, 255 E. Wilson Ave.
Staffers from Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd., of Rosemont, the firm that prepared preliminary designs under a $150,000 contract, will be on hand to answer questions from homeowners who live on Madison between 53 and Finley Road, where improvements will be made.
“This will be good for people who are in that area and want to know specifically how this is going to affect them,” Kalisik said.
Roughly 15 properties on Madison will be affected by construction that will add curbs, gutters, sidewalks, storm sewers and street lighting as crews work to decrease the grade of the downward slope on Madison as it heads west toward Route 53.
Kalisik said the village also will need to buy several feet of land from some properties to allow for street widening.
“Madison Street will actually require an extensive reduction in elevation,” he said.
Once funding is found for the next phase of work, he said designing construction documents could take about a year and a half.