Mayors along the Interstate Highway 355 extension met with Illinois Tollway Authority officials Monday and discussed a $20 million additional price tag the authority said is now the responsibility of the communities along the 12-mile roadway.
Lemont Mayor John Piazza said the extra cost was not mentioned in the planning stages and the mayors went to hear the reasoning behind the request.
“But in efforts to see the project go forward nobody asked too many questions about it,” Piazza said.
He said the mayors learned that in-kind contributions made by the municipalities could go toward reducing that number.
Piazza said Lemont hopes to offer up the improvement of 127th Street, a future tollway interchange, as part of its contribution. The project, done jointly by the Cook County Highway Department and the village, will improve the roadway from Archer Avenue to Smith Road and up to the interchange.
The improvements would include widening 2.8 miles of the road, adding a middle turn lane, along with sidewalk curbs and gutters, storm sewers and some street lighting, said Village Administrator Gary Holmes.
The price tag for the project is estimated at $8 million.