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Two construction projects worrying Ogden businesses in Naperville

Businesses in the work zone of a water main replacement project along Ogden Avenue in Naperville say they're weathering this construction storm, but they're worried about the next one.

The stretch of Ogden from Wisconsin Street to Burlington Avenue is set to be torn up for two projects this year - the water main work that's nearing completion and a separate resurfacing project expected to begin the week of June 19.

"That, I'm worried about," said Steve Georgopoulos of Quincy's Restaurant & Bakery on Ogden just west of Burlington Avenue. "I don't know how long it's going to last. I hope it's not long."

Georgopoulos likely speaks for many business owners and operators along the ⅓-mile stretch where the water main project has been causing manageable but noticeable hassles and delays, and the planned resurfacing is raising anxieties.

"If there's a lot of lane closures, it's going to upset people in a big way," said Greg Gordon, owner of Dog Patch Pet & Feed next to Quincy's. "Anything that gives people a reason to look somewhere else is a bad thing. If it looks inconvenient to get in here, they're not going to come."

The city is leading the water main reconstruction project, a $679,817 effort to replace a water delivery pipe that Jim Holzapfel, water and wastewater utility director, says is in poor condition. In fact, he says, there have been three water main breaks in the construction zone since work began in mid-April, further proving the need to replace the failing infrastructure.

Despite those additional breaks, which have caused water service disruptions for businesses like Quincy's, Holzapfel said the project is progressing about a week ahead of schedule and is expected to be done by late July. He said the city fast-tracked the work to be complete before resurfacing begins so crews wouldn't have to tear up fresh pavement to access the water pipes below.

The resurfacing project will be led by the Illinois Department of Transportation, covering a 7-mile stretch from Raymond Drive in Naperville to I-355 in Lisle. It's scheduled to begin the week of June 19 on the eastern end of the work zone in Lisle and then progress west into Naperville. The project is expected to last until early November.

A spokesman for the department did not immediately reply Friday to a request for details about the project.

Gordon says he and the loyal customers of Dog Patch Pet & Feed are hoping for a break between the two projects. His parking lot has turned a dusty brown instead of black. Construction equipment and range cones discourage drivers from even passing by.

"Everyone who comes in says it's really hard to turn on Ogden," Gordon said.

He says his shop's typical lunch crowd of pet owners who work nearby has diminished because shoppers don't have time to fight construction-zone traffic, stop in for animal supplies and get back on the job.

Contractor Martam Construction of Elgin is working on the water main between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, closing one of the two eastbound lanes on Ogden to conduct their work. When Gordon complained to the city last week about crews staging vehicles in his parking lot, he said the vehicles were moved soon after. But he still worries about the losses the construction is causing.

"Given the circumstances, they're doing pretty well," Gordon said. "It's just, this is your baby, and you don't want to see it go."

At Quincy's, Georgopoulos says he's coping, but he's seeing between 10 percent and 15 percent fewer customers than usual and twice has dealt with water outages lasting three and five hours.

Holzapfel said the city is doing its best to minimize business disruptions and coordinate with the state to make this season's two phases of work on Ogden progress as smoothly as possible.

"Whenever you do a road, the construction site looks like a bomb went off," Holzapfel said. "You get dust, you get dirt, you get noise, you get traffic delays; ingress and egress to the site is compromised or interrupted, and those are the unfortunate parts of construction."

  Businesses such as Quincy's Restaurant & Bakery along Ogden Avenue have been dealing with the effects of a water main replacement project since mid-April, including dirt, dust, traffic delays and construction vehicles using their parking lots. Marie Wilson/mwilson@dailyherald.com
  A water main reconstruction project along Ogden Avenue in Naperville is the first phase of work planned this summer on the busy state route. The road also is set to be resurfaced from Raymond Drive to I-355 in Lisle beginning the week of June 19. Marie Wilson/mwilson@dailyherald.com
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