Downers Grove moving ahead with drainage improvement project

Downers Grove officials have revived a major infrastructure project that was canceled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The village has budgeted roughly $4 million for the Burlington Highlands drainage improvement project, which is slated to begin in March. The work will include the construction of a new and updated storm sewer system, regraded ditches and a detention basin.

The Burlington Highlands neighborhood is north of Ogden Avenue along portions of Downers Drive, Seeley Avenue, Belle Aire Lane and Venard Road.

Andrew Sikich, Downers Grove's director of public works, told village council members on Jan. 12 that the revamped project will include water main and resurfacing work on Venard Road between Ogden and Drove avenues.

Construction of the detention basin will require the removal of 69 trees. Sikich said the area will be replanted with native flowering plants and grasses to help serve as a filter for sediments and pollutants.

The village council agreed with the public works department's recommendation to award the contract to Schaumburg-based A Lamp Concrete Contractors Inc.

"This project is overdue," said Commissioner Marge Earl, referring to a 2014 public works report that highlighted the area's flooding problems.

But Earl also apologized in advance to the neighborhood's residents over the disruptions they will face during the construction.

"This is really going to mess up their neighborhood for quite a while," said Earl, noting the work is expected to be completed by Oct. 1. "Our goal is to try to disturb the neighborhood only once when we're doing something and not have to go in repeatedly."

"It's work that needs to be done," Mayor Bob Barnett said. "Many of these projects simply can't wait more than a couple of years. And so we were forced to do so last year, and now we're going to start back up and try to keep things moving and keep our village in the condition that all of our residents expect."