Elk Grove Village braces for spring roadwork
Elk Grove Village residents and visitors should brace for a busy construction season this spring as simultaneous village, county and state road projects will make driving around town a major headache, Mayor Craig Johnson warned Tuesday.
“It will be a pain for three or four months getting around this village, but the pain is going to be well worth it because the benefits are going to be for years to come,” Johnson said.
Arlington Heights Road will be restricted to one lane in each direction from Higgins Road to Brantwood Avenue for resurfacing starting in March. The construction, funded entirely by the Cook County Highway Department, will run through July.
“That road is in desperate need of repair,” Johnson said.
The section of Arlington Heights Road used for the Tour of Elk Grove cycling competition should be completed in time for this year's race in August, he said.
The Illinois Department of Transportation will undertake the resurfacing of Route 72/Higgins Road from I-290 to Landmeier Road, and Route 83/Busse Road from Oakton Street to Irving Park Road this May. Both projects will run through October with nighttime lane closures planned, except between Arlington Heights Road and Scott Street.
The Busse Road project will include replacing the concrete islands in the middle of the roadway with landscaping, partly funded through the village's Industrial/Commercial Revitalization Commission, Johnson said.
“It's going to be a beautification,” he said. “With all the new buildings going up along Busse, that ties in beautifully with the improvements that they're going to be doing.”
Meanwhile, the village will begin resurfacing Biesterfield Road from Martha Street to Creighton Avenue in April. The roughly $1 million project was moved up to this spring's construction schedule because the village saved money on interest rates by refinancing debt in December, Johnson said.
Apart from Biesterfield, the village also will be improving 7.8 miles of side streets. The work includes resurfacing and curb, gutter and sidewalk rehabilitation within the industrial park and in various residential neighborhoods.
Roadwork along Biesterfield and other village streets will run through June with temporary road/lane closures during daytime hours.
This summer, the village also will conclude a three-year program to reconstruct brick crosswalks throughout town.
Elk Grove has 142 brick crosswalks, of which 93 have never been touched and are now 12 years old, Johnson said.
The last leg of crosswalks that need rehabilitation is along Elk Grove and John F. Kennedy boulevards. One lane of both roadways will be restricted from April through June, with temporary closures of side roads through July.
“We are sending letters to every single home or business that abuts the street that's going to be worked on,” Johnson said. “We're warning residents in advance: plan alternative routes or be prepared. It's going to take some time.”
Roadwork: 'Plan alternative routes or be prepared'