Transportation-related construction is expected to ramp up in Naperville in the new year.
Deputy City Manager Marcie Schatz outlined what road projects are in store for 2023 at a recent Naperville City Council budget discussion.
The two most visible construction projects next year are the downtown bridge replacement and streetscape improvements along Washington Street, Schatz said.
Construction will begin in early 2023 on the long-awaited replacement of the Washington Street bridge over the west branch of the DuPage River. The city plans to demolish and reconstruct the east side of the span next year, followed by the west side in 2024.
Eighty percent of the $10.4 million price tag will be paid for with federal transportation funding and the city will cover the remaining $3.8 million cost. Schatz said the city’s share includes $1.1 million in electric and water utility improvements.
North of the bridge, Naperville will be embarking on the next $6.7 million phase of its downtown streetscape project, tackling Washington Street from Chicago to Benton avenues.
The construction, tentatively scheduled to begin in the summer, includes utility upgrades, sidewalk modernization and complete road reconstruction to improve pedestrian mobility, accessibility and safety. No changes to parking are planned.
Schatz said $5.5 million of the cost — 40% which will be funded through a special service area tax — is for the sidewalk and road improvement work.
Another $1.1 million will fund water main and sewer work and $55,000 is earmarked for electric improvements.
Both the bridge and street projects will be coordinated to minimize impact on the public and businesses, Schatz said.
To support downtown businesses while the work is going on, the city has budgeted an additional $100,000 for marketing through the Downtown Naperville Alliance.
On the north side of the city, the second phase of the North Aurora Road underpass project is slated to start in early 2023, and the $14.5 million cost will covered with federal highway funds and money from the cities of Naperville and Aurora and Naperville Township.
The work is necessary to eliminate the bottleneck that’s created on both sides of the railroad underpass because usage exceeds roadway capacity and is expected to grow to nearly 33,000 vehicles a day by 2040.
The first phase involved the Naperville widening and improving the stretch of North Aurora Road between Fairway Drive and Frontenac Road in partnership with the township.
The second phase entails replacing the 110-year-old Canadian National/Wisconsin Central Railroad bridge with a new structure that will span the newly expanded five traffic lanes on North Aurora Road.
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Also included in the project are a multiuse path, roadway lighting, a pump station and increased vertical clearance.
The project is scheduled to go to bid this month with construction expected to be complete in 2025.
Another big project will take place on Columbia Street from Monticello Drive to Fifth Avenue.
The $3.4 million in improvements will enhance the pavement, curb and gutter, drainage and street lighting.
Schatz said the project will bring the stretch up to city collector street standards. DuPage County will be contributing $500,000 to the project.
Naperville will contribute $1 million to the cost of DuPage County upgrades to Naperville Road, which calls for new streetlights and reconstruction of the city portion of the intersection at Naperville and Diehl roads.
The city expects to spend $13 million on the annual street maintenance improvement program that Schatz said can involve full roadway resurfacing and reconstruction as well as smaller scale improvements, such as patching, crack filling and microsurfacing.
She said a quarry strike early this year reduced the amount of work the city could complete within the construction season.
To prevent the city from falling behind in its road maintenance schedule, the city is budgeting $13 million instead of the typical $12 million to make up for the lost work, and it plans to do the same in 2024, Schatz said.
Included in the 2023 work are: Diehl Road from Mill Street to Naper Boulevard and Washington Street from Warrenville Road to Apache Drive.
Work also is planned on streets in the following neighborhoods: Saddle Creek, Country Lakes, South Pointe, Windgate, Woodlake, Cedar Glen and Old Farm.
The city’s Transportation, Engineering and Development included $65,000 in the budget to hire a third party to help with inspections on maintenance improvement program and other capital projects during peak season and $30,000 for a bridge inspector.
Schatz said the Illinois Department of Transportation requires the city to inspect and prepare a report on 12 bridges, and the city does not staff structural engineers qualified in bridge inspection.
The duties previously had been filled by retired TED inspectors who worked for a limited number of hours. That option is no longer available, she said.
Finally, the city plans to spend $1.5 million on maintenance at the Van Buren and Water Street parking decks and $850,000 on rehabbing the lower-level driving surface at the Naperville Municipal Center deck.
Looking ahead, Schatz said the city set aside $1.2 million for design and engineering work on several transportation projects, including 248th Avenue improvements scheduled for 2026, the reconstruction of the 87th Street bridge over Springbrook Creek between Modaff and Plainfield-Naperville roads scheduled for 2024, and road and water main upgrades to Sylvan Circle/Porter Avenue for 2024.
The city also is looking to hire an engineering consultant for $125,000 to update the city’s long-range transportation improvement plans.
The last time the plan was updated was in 2007, and Schatz said most projects on the list are completed or currently in progress.