After years of planning, work is beginning on new Bliss/Main/Fabyan Parkway intersection
Kane County officials broke ground Tuesday on a project that will merge two busy intersections along Main Street in Blackberry Township into one.
The $12 million project just west of Batavia will realign Bliss Road so it intersects with Main Street and Fabyan Parkway. A new four-legged roundabout will be built where Main Street now intersects with Fabyan Parkway to bring the three roads together.
Though work has started on the relocation of utility lines, the bulk of the road construction will begin next year and should be completed by the end of 2023, said Jennifer O'Connell, chief of design for the Kane County Division of Transportation. Drivers in the area can expect to see three road detours during construction, she said.
"This is a long-awaited improvement for the area," said Kane County Board member Drew Frasz, an Elburn Republican who heads the county board's transportation committee.
He said the realignment project, which will be paid through county funds, has been in the works for years, noting that the "temporary" traffic signal was installed at Bliss and Main Street more than 10 years ago.
Key to the project is the roundabout that officials said will improve traffic flow. The intersection is notorious for traffic backups, rear-end crashes and lengthy signal delays.
"The use of a roundabout will enhance traffic control ... and most importantly will absolutely safe lives," Kane County Board Chair Corinne Pierog said.
As part of the project, about a quarter-mile of Bliss Road will be realigned to connect it with the intersection of Fabyan Parkway and Main Street rather than intersecting with Main Street a short distance from Fabyan Parkway.
The new stretch of Bliss Road will go through a property that once was farmland but has since been purchased by the Batavia Park District and the Forest Preserve District of Kane County. The right of way for the road project was negotiated when the property was sold.
A portion of the existing Bliss Road, where several houses are located, will be turned into a cul-de-sac, allowing for local traffic only. The county also purchased about 400 trees to replace the trees that will be torn down as part of the project.
The 400 trees were planted at the Elburn Forest Preserve at a cost of about $250,000.