Antioch plans to close part of Grimm Road due to safety concerns
Antioch-area drivers and residents can weigh in on a village plan to close a significant portion of Grimm Road, a shortcut between routes 83 and 173, because of safety concerns.
A public information session is planned for 10 a.m. Thursday at the village hall, 874 Main St., to gather and consider comment on the plan. Under the proposal, Grimm would be closed from the Canadian National Railroad right-of-way east to the Sequoit Creek culvert, which is 700 feet west of Route 173.
Signs are scheduled to be posted Jan. 23 and the road closed by Feb. 25.
"This proposed closing of this section of Grimm Road is based on public safety concerns related to the rapidly deteriorating condition of this roadway and the determination by the village that the roadway is no longer safe for vehicular traffic," according to the meeting notice.
The portion to be closed is bordered by village-owned property on the north and the Sequoit Creek Forest Preserve on the south. No facilities open to the public exist on that stretch. Access to eastbound Route 173 would be maintained for homeowners east of culvert.
The village bought 50 undeveloped acres north of Grimm Road known as the Boylan parcel in 2015 as a potential site for new business. It inherited the road when the property was annexed in October 2017. The Boylan property was designated a special financing district last May as an incentive for development.
Based on advanced deterioration, resurfacing won't be adequate and Grimm Road will have to be rebuilt, according to the village. Plans also are being made to move the intersection with Route 173, which is at a severe angle, to the west and make it perpendicular.
Eventually, a new collector street connecting Route 173 with Route 83 will be built, but the timing depends on the pace of development. Antioch plans to create a business park and build a public works facility on the Boylan property.
Residents can visit www.antioch.il.gov/ and click on the "Grimm Road Closure" tab for information, including frequently asked questions.