Batavia building officials and the Kane County Transportation Department gave a tentative go-ahead Tuesday to Wal-Mart’s grand opening of its store at Randall Road and Fabyan Parkway, less than 24 hours before the event was to take place.
Though the 7-month-old project to improve the intersection of Randall and Fabyan won’t be done until late November, enough has been accomplished to safely accommodate the traffic Wal-Mart is expected to generate, said county engineer John Gudderson. New turn lanes have been added, and a traffic signal installed at Wal-Mart’s main entrance, on Fabyan just west of Randall.
County transportation officials had been still considering postponing the opening for life-safety traffic concerns as of Monday afternoon, he said.
Both the roadwork and the 153,000-square-foot Wal-Mart store were expected to pass Building Department inspections Tuesday afternoon, said Batavia Building Commissioner Jeff Albertson. “We’re still working, but at this point we expect everything to be done and ready in time,” he said.
The grand opening is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, with Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke cutting the ribbon.
The store has been in the planning stages for nearly five years. It is expected to generate about $500,000 in annual sales tax revenue for the city.