Will County Board members are reviving discussions about a potential new bridge over the Des Plaines River Valley, an idea that was shelved four years ago after the county and affected municipalities decided they couldn’t fund the project.
In 2022, estimates to build a bridge and improve an 11-mile corridor through Crest Hill, Lockport and Homer and Lockport Townships was about $617.6 million, and the price tag has likely increased since then, said Jeff Ronaldson, the director of the Will County Division of Transportation.
The Illinois Department of Transportation was not interested in funding the project, and it was not a financially feasible option for the municipalities or townships to pick up a portion of the costs either, Ronaldson said.
The county has been discussing the Caton Farm-Bruce Road Regional Transportation Corridor for more than 25 years, a proposal that would include a new bridge over the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, the Des Plaines River and the Illinois and Michigan Canal. Discussions began in 2001 with several years spent looking at various roadway alignments.
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In 2022, the County Board voted to convert the project to a planning and environmental linkages study, which effectively is a formal pause that allows officials to pick up where they left off and not have to start at the beginning, Ronaldson said. Some of the information may now be outdated, he said.
Several board members said they believe new discussions are needed, especially with the 9th Street Bridge near downtown Lockport scheduled to undergo a major construction project in the coming years. Other east-west crossings over the Des Plaines River Valley are in Romeoville and Joliet.
While board members said they know a new bridge couldn’t be built before roadwork starts on the 9th Street Bridge, they want to address bottlenecks, travel delays and increasing traffic through the region.
Traffic is going to continue getting worse, said board member Dave Oxley, a Lockport Republican. He said he is especially concerned that fire departments and paramedics located on each side of the river are impacted by traffic congestion.
The board called a special meeting Thursday to resurrect discussions.
While no action was taken, Mark Revis, vice-chair of the Public Works and Transportation Committee, suggested a committee could be formed to explore the project, or board members could write letters to state and federal lawmakers to request funding.
“This is a perfect opportunity for us to be bridge builders,” said Revis, a Plainfield Republican. “I’m not just talking about a physical bridge. I’m talking about us uniting the multiple municipalities, the units of government, the fire departments, park districts, forest preserves, businesses … behind a desire to alleviate the bottleneck of traffic that occurs on a regular basis in central Will County.”
The 11-mile corridor would connect the six corners at U.S. Route 30, Gaylord Road and Caton Farm Road in Crest Hill with Cedar Road and 159th Street in Homer Glen.
The affected area includes about 157 acres needed for right-of-way acquisitions, including land from agricultural, commercial and residential uses, Revis said. The corridor is also lined with schools, businesses, forest preserves, churches, cemeteries and more, he said.
Infrastructure improvements need to be made on both sides of the river so that traffic can flow to and from the bridge, Ronaldson said.
Crest Hill Mayor Ray Soliman told the board the city’s position from four years ago has not changed.
Crest Hill cannot afford its portion of the bridge and corridor improvements, especially as the city is paying for another large capital project to bring Lake Michigan water to its residents, he said.
Soliman said he’s glad talks have been resurrected but either Will County or IDOT needs to be the project’s sponsor.
Board members offered suggestions Thursday as to how the project could be manageable, but agreed it comes down to financing and figuring out how or which government entities would pay for it.
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Board member Steve Balich, a Homer Glen Republican, said the bridge could be a toll road and said partnerships with the Illinois Tollway should be pursued.
Julie Berkowicz, a County Board Republican from Naperville, said the board should lobby its federal and state representatives for funding.
Democratic Leader Sherry Williams, of Crest Hill, said she does not want the project to adversely affect Lockport Township’s Fairmont community of about 800 homes. She cited concerns of children heading to school with a new road splitting the neighborhood in half.
Revis said he agreed and does not want the Fairmont area negatively impacted.
IDOT is conducting preliminary engineering and environmental studies for improvements to the existing 9th Street Bridge over the Des Plaines River and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in Lockport, and the project is “several years away from construction,” department spokesman Maria Castaneda said in an email.
The current engineering study is expected to be completed in late 2027.
The proposed project is anticipated to consist of bridge replacement, along with bicycle and pedestrian accommodations, Castaneda said. The exact total cost is not yet known, but at this time IDOT estimates that the bridge replacement cost will be between $80 million to $100 million. Construction is not fully funded at this time, Castaneda said.
The 9th Street Bridge was built in 1971 with minor rehabilitations completed in 2000 and 2008. The bridge sees about 24,500 vehicles per day.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.