Repairs on Lombard's Grace Street may not begin until 2016

Residents have kept the phone lines busy this winter in Lombard with complaints about potholes that have overtaken Grace Street between St. Charles Road and North Avenue.

But officials say there's not much more the village can do until it gains jurisdiction of the road from the Illinois Department of Transportation.

"The condition has worsened significantly with the freeze and frost cycles we've had," said Public Works Director Carl Goldsmith, adding that Grace Street is one of the top five reasons residents contact his department. "It is in failing condition and in need of significant improvements."

The village has responded - and will continue to respond - by regularly patching the potholes and making sure the street is as safe as it can be for motorists, Goldsmith said.

It is estimated, however, that extensive repairs on the street may not occur until 2016.

"We certainly appreciate the community's patience," Goldsmith said. "We're working as diligently as we can. We're trying to expedite it."

The 2016 estimate factors in how long it will take for IDOT to respond to the jurisdiction request - which was submitted by the village a few weeks ago - along with the time it will take to do engineering for the project and apply for funding.

Officials say the advantage to having jurisdiction of the street is twofold: first, it will allow the village to do more than just surface work, which is the only section IDOT would address; and second, work likely will get done faster, since IDOT typically puts funding toward roads with higher traffic counts.

"It needs a full reconstruction," Goldsmith said, adding that the village hopes to improve underground infrastructure, such as water mains and sanitary sewers, and replace sidewalks and curbs along with the resurfacing.

The cost of the project is estimated near $7.8 million, Goldsmith said. Once the village has jurisdiction, it plans to apply for funding through the federal Surface Transportation Program.

Those funds are projected to cover about 70 percent of the project's construction costs, leaving the village responsible for the remaining 30 percent and expenses related to engineering services.

For more information about repairs on Grace Street, visit villageoflombard.org.