Naperville is expected to pay $1.1 million for six properties and the use of adjacent land along Washington Street, paving the way to replace the bridge that spans the west branch of the DuPage River.
Bill Novack, director of Transportation, Engineering and Development for the city, said the deals will be closed by midweek once the Naperville City Council authorizes the purchases at Tuesday’s meeting.
With that out of the way, the Illinois Department of Transportation can seek bids for the project in November and construction would start in the spring, Novack said .
Crews would focus on one half of the bridge at a time, allowing north and south traffic to flow on the other half.
The east side would be demolished first and reconstructed in 2023.
Before west side work can begin in 2024, AT&T will need up to three months to move existing utilities from under the bridge to a location underground on the east side of the bridge, Novack said.
If all goes according to plan, reconstruction could be finished by Labor Day 2024, he said.
The project involves replacing the bridge and its supports, installing the electric utilities and a new water main under the river, replacing the sanitary sewer infrastructure under the river, and adding right-turn lanes for southbound Washington Street at Aurora Avenue and for eastbound Aurora Avenue at Washington Street.
Naperville was able to secure federal funding from IDOT through the Federal Bridge Program to cover 80% of the cost.
Naperville’s 20% share is $3.2 million, which includes construction costs of $3 million and engineering costs of $210,600.
The Washington Street bridge is more than 40 years old and so deteriorated the city restricts the size of vehicles using it to less than 15 tons.
The new bridge will be wider with the extra space placed on the east side.
Besides buying the land for the added width, Naperville will pay the owners for temporary use of their property to allow construction crews access to the bridge and for permanent easements on some properties to allow for things like new sidewalks.
The city will pay North Central College $82,350 for land at 430 S. Washington St. and $73,806 so the contractor can use vacant property along the river for the staging of materials and equipment.
In an earlier agreement, the city committed to construct a park and Washington Street gateway to the college campus after completion of the bridge project. The majority of the park’s cost will be funded by a grant from the state.
A private trust that owns the property at 506 S. Washington St. where a Burger King operates would receive $117,806 for land plus $8,000 for the temporary easement.
The Donald A. Feldott Trust would receive $171,660 for land at 8 W. Chicago Ave. where the Lantern operates and $13,230 for a temporary easement.
In addition, the city would pay $25,110 for a permanent easement that will be required for the new sanitary sewer infrastructure under the river.
CR River Square LLC would be paid $288,500 for land at 22 E. Chicago Ave. and $26,500 for the temporary easement.
Another $85,000 would cover the permanent easement for the sidewalk, traffic signal equipment and utilities near the intersection of Chicago Avenue and Washington Street.
The city is scheduled to pay Willoway LLC $173,300 for land at 419-423 S. Washington St. to construct a new right-turn lane on southbound Washington Street, just south of the bridge.
Another $76,700 would be paid to Willoway because the property will be used as a staging area and allows the contractor access to an existing utility easement for the replacement of the sanitary sewer.
The installation of the new turn lane also will affect a sign and parking on the property.
The owner plans to remove the sign and reinstall it once construction is complete.
Because work will result in the loss of four to five parking spaces, the owner will reconstruct the parking lot between the building and Washington Street. The city plans to reimburse the owner for the improvements. Novack said.