Community Corner

Are You Ready for Gridlock? Route 59 Construction Begins Monday

The two-year project begins next week and will have a "significant impact" on drivers, officials said.

Drivers who rely on the heavily-traveled Route 59 corridor in Naperville may want to start searching their GPS for alternate routes beginning next week. 

A two-year, $84.8-million construction project is expected to start Monday, Aug. 19, which will widen the road to three lanes in both directions from Ferry Road to Aurora Avenue/New York Street. 

The work is being led by the Illinois Department of Transportation and includes the addition of sidewalks, a shared-use path, noise walls along Route 59 as well as the reconfiguration of the Interstate 88 interchange.

Find out what's happening in Napervillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Gov. Quinn announced earlier this month that the state will provide a total of $84.8 million for the work.

While the end result will shave travel times and relieve congestion at major intersections along Route 59 such as Diehl Road and Route 59, the construction itself will cause a headache for drivers.

"It will have a significant impact," said Bill Novak, Transportation, Engineering and Development director in June. "People are going to have to budget more time to move north/south through the area and plan accordingly."

Find out what's happening in Napervillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Some businesses along Route 59 may also be affected as access to smaller side streets and driveways will be restricted during construction. 

The city of Naperville will also keep drivers notified on construction work on their website.

Shoppers and commuters may have already noticed some work being done on Route 59 in recent months. Last summer, IDOT crews removed trees along the roadway in preparation for the lane widening project.


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