Politics & Government
Construction Start Date Set for Route 59 Improvements
The city of Naperville is warning drivers to prepare for "significant traffic delays" once the $84.8 million project begins.
Gov. Pat Quinn’s office and the city of Naperville have paved the way for construction to begin on lane widening and improvement work for Route 59.
The two-year project, which is being led by the Illinois Department of Transportation, is expected to begin Monday, Aug. 19, according to the city of Naperville.
Gov. Quinn announced Wednesday that the state will provide a total of $84.8 million for the work, which will widen the heavily-traveled corridor to three lanes in both directions from Ferry Road to Aurora Avenue/New York Street.
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Sidewalks, a shared-use path, noise walls and the reconfiguration of the Interstate 88 interchange will also be constructed.
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."
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Some businesses along Route 59 may also be affected as access to smaller side streets and driveways will be restricted during construction. IDOT and city officials plan to meet with business owners to discuss the project before major construction begins.
The city of Naperville will also keep drivers notified on construction work on their website.
Councilman Bob Fieseler recently said that the city will finally have some "relief on Route 59," once the project is completed.
“This is probably one of the biggest public works projects that this town will see for this decade,” he said at a City Council meeting in May.
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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